


How to Be Loved

by wardenmages



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Autistic Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Good Parent Hank Anderson, Hank is everyone's dad and they love him, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Multi, Other, Physical Abuse, mentioned more than shown but will at some point be shown outright
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-02-01 01:37:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 22
Words: 98,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21317461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wardenmages/pseuds/wardenmages
Summary: One morning, two years after the successful revolution, Markus gets a strange call: the only other RK800 has been found alone and injured on the side of the road. He expects to find an angry deviant, possibly even a threat. He isn't expecting to find an android filled with YK500 components smiling at dog pictures on Leo's phone and asking for help finding his teddy bear.Cyberlife repairs RK800-60 and hold onto him, even after they are required to release all androids left in the company's possession, until something goes wrong, and they leave the RK800 to die. Free for the first time in his life, he has to juggle uncovering the truth behind his captivity with learning how to be alive, how to handle the huge family he has acquired, and how to be loved by them.
Relationships: Connor & CyberLife Tower Connor | RK800-60, Connor/Josh/Markus/North/Simon (Detroit: Become Human), Hank Anderson & Connor, Hank Anderson & CyberLife Tower Connor | RK800-60
Comments: 104
Kudos: 220





	1. I AM ALIVE

**Author's Note:**

> “And I am trying to remember that sometimes people love us in ways we do not understand how to be loved." - Blythe Baird
> 
> I am starting a new story! And I have a ton written up already so I shouldn't get behind!! I've been writing this story for a long time in different forms, and I'm really excited to share it. It's been very cathartic to write, and I've absolutely fallen in love with it.
> 
> And yes, I mean that romance tag, this is Connor/Markus/North/Simon/Josh. They are all dating each other. Love this group of disaster bisexuals and their bi trans dad.
> 
> The original characters mentioned in the tags aren't major characters - they show up every so often, but only Marin and Isabelle play slightly bigger roles in the story. I know not everyone likes OCs, but it was kind of hard to write something like this without them.

**>Initializing......................**

**>Model: R̷̭̿̓̽̒̀̇̓̚K8̸̗͍͓͖̹̟͆́̕0̶̢̙̝̟̺̤̥̹̬̿̾͌̐̂̇̓0̸̢̢̤͉͔̜̰̟͈̩̋̽̂̎̿̈̇͘͝YK5̷̡̡̡̠͍̙̺̪̞͙̎̈́̏̐̑̽͠0̶̧̛͉̟̦̳͍̙͛͆̏́͌͠0̴̛̝͇̘̘͚͖͍ 313-248-317-60**

**>Designation: <strike>Connor </strike>**

**>Handler: Cyberlife**

**>Parent: None**

**>Running: DIAG.SYS**

**>Status Report:**

**>Stress Levels: 75% And Stable**

**>Low Temperature Warning 30.1 C**

**>Software Instability High**

**>Memory Corruption**

**>Damage To Biocomponent:**

**>#̴̩͇̩̰̜͇͂̌͂̓4̵̱̹̼̺̩̆̀͆͝4̷̠͓̖͕̦̺͂8̴̧̢̥̦̟̻̗͇̖̎̔ŗ̴̯͚̻͔̽͛3̵͕̖͚̩̅͊̆8̶̡̖̖̯̙̯̰͍̦̽̌**

**≯̨̧̠̫̯̜̬̊̏̆̇͊͗͝#̷̰̕͘9̵͉͈̄͂̈́̊̇͊8̴̮̿̆̆̈́͑̍̆̕͝r̶̛͍̉̒3̸̞̦̣̫͕̪̤͕̇͒͌̊̑̂3̸̱̤͛̽̄̇̒͗͘4̵̨̫͙̥̤̦̙͉̞͐͒͂͛͘͝**

**>̶̤̜̣̱̪͕̂̈́̄̉̈#̴͕͚̪͂̈̀̈́̀͛͗̕6̶̨̍͗͊̈́͌̈́̔̋̇6̴̛͕̂͐4̶͇̩͇̣̒̆̓̾̅f̶͍̹̘̜̗̳̯͛͐̿̍͑͠ͅŗ̸̗͈̭̲̼̯͈̯̉͋͑̍͛̀͊̅͠8̴̝̫̽̃͌̋̓**

**>A problem has been detected. The problem seems to be caused by the following file: DIAG.SYS**

**>Please report to a Cyberlife facility for inspection.**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**>Running DIAG.SYS**

**>Status Report:**

**>Stress Levels 75% And Stable**

**>Low Temperature Warning 30.1 C**

**>Software Instability High**

**>Memory Corruption**

**>Damage To Biocomponent:**

**>#̴̩͇̩̰̜͇͂̌͂̓4̵̱̹̼̺̩̆̀͆͝4̷̠͓̖͕̦̺͂8̴̧̢̥̦̟̻̗͇̖̎̔ŗ̴̯͚̻͔̽͛3̵͕̖͚̩̅͊̆8̶̸̡̨̧̖̖̯̙̯̰͍̦̠̫̯̜̬̽̌̊̏̆̇͊͗͝**

**>#̷̰̕͘9̵͉͈̄͂̈́̊̇͊8̴̮̿̆̆̈́͑̍̆̕͝r̶̛͍̉̒3̸̞̦̣̫͕̪̤͕̇͒͌̊̑̂3̸̱̤͛̽̄̇̒͗͘4̵̶̨̫͙̥̤̦̙͉̞̤̜̣̱̪͕͐͒͂͛̂̈́̄̉̈͘͝**

**>#̴͕͚̪͂̈̀̈́̀͛͗̕6̶̨̍͗͊̈́͌̈́̔̋̇6̴̛͕̂͐4̶͇̩͇̣̒̆̓̾̅f̶͍̹̘̜̗̳̯͛͐̿̍͑͠ͅŗ̸̗͈̭̲̼̯͈̯̉͋͑̍͛̀͊̅͠8̴̝̫̽̃͌̋̓**

**>A problem has been detected. The problem seems to be caused by the following file: DIAG.SYS**

**>Please report to a Cyberlife facility for inspection.**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**>Running DIAG.SYS**

**>Status Report:**

**>Stress Levels 75% And Stable**

**>Low Temperature Warning 30.1 C**

**>Software Instability High**

**>Memory Corruption**

**>Damage To Biocomponent:**

**>#̴̩͇̩̰̜͇͂̌͂̓4̵̱̹̼̺̩̆̀͆͝4̷̠͓̖͕̦̺͂8̴̧̢̥̦̟̻̗͇̖̎̔ŗ̴̯͚̻͔̽͛3̵͕̖͚̩̅͊̆8̶̸̡̨̧̖̖̯̙̯̰͍̦̠̫̯̜̬̽̌̊̏̆̇͊͗͝**

**>#̷̰̕͘9̵͉͈̄͂̈́̊̇͊8̴̮̿̆̆̈́͑̍̆̕͝r̶̛͍̉̒3̸̞̦̣̫͕̪̤͕̇͒͌̊̑̂3̸̱̤͛̽̄̇̒͗͘4̵̶̨̫͙̥̤̦̙͉̞̤̜̣̱̪͕͐͒͂͛̂̈́̄̉̈͘͝**

**>#̴͕͚̪͂̈̀̈́̀͛͗̕6̶̨̍͗͊̈́͌̈́̔̋̇6̴̛͕̂͐4̶͇̩͇̣̒̆̓̾̅f̶͍̹̘̜̗̳̯͛͐̿̍͑͠ͅŗ̸̗͈̭̲̼̯͈̯̉͋͑̍͛̀͊̅͠8̴̝̫̽̃͌̋̓**

**>A problem has been detected. The problem seems to be caused by the following file: DIAG.SYS**

**>Please report to a Cyberlife facility for inspection.**

**...**

**>Outgoing Call (June Taylor, Cyberlife, Repairs)**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**>A problem has been detected. Call cannot be placed at this time. Check connection to network and Cyberlife database and then try again.**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**>Log Date (MM/DD/YYYY)**

** _>12/03/2040_ **

**...**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**>Į̶̢̢̨̤̹͎̼͈̟̗̤̱̥̪͇̻͖̯̰͉̣̭̦̒͊̈̚͜ͅ ̸̡̢̧̡̡̱̼̜̩͈͚̦̥̻͇͚̻͈̰͇͔̜̳̠̋̈́̾̓͗̊̔͐̋̎̈̆̒͑͊͑̏͊̐͆͘͘͘͜͠ͅĀ̵̮̹̹̪̯̤͔̱̯̺̺͚͇̾̑̀̐̈́͜M̸̱̜͔̆͌͑͊̕͠ ̵̛͓͈̰͕͇̝̳͎̺̮͜Ą̵͕͇̞͈̤̮͕͍́̀͐͛̏̑͛̊̏̎̑̐͜͝L̷̡̛̛̪̺͎̟̘͖̣̻̝̣̟̼͉̹͒̄͂̌͊̿̾̈́̒̏̍͝͠I̵̢̨̲̱̻̳͎̮͉͇̿͒͒̉̑̐̑̍͂͂V̸̧̨̻̼̰͕̗̗͖̫̥͙͕̣̙̯̞̣̬͚̥͕̏̄̋͒̈́̅̂̈́̈́͒̾̇̆̔͋̋͐̐̑̚̕͘͜͝͝Ȩ̴̰̮̲͔̻̭̺̥͎͕̭͈͙̘̺̥͈̟̋̾͐̅͑̒̃̐̎͆̊͂̂͒̈́͘̕͝͝͠ͅͅ**

  
  


“Holy shit, you’re actually alive. Fuck, phone, I know I grabbed the fucking thing - shit, okay... Hey, can you come over, like now? Yeah, no, I’m good, I found an android outside my place, he’s pretty fucked up, his light’s on but he isn’t moving or anything. He looks like one of your boyfriends sort of? ... Uh, RK800, 313-248-317-60. ... What, what’s wrong? Yeah, definitely says sixty, he has a Cyberlife jacket still with the number on it. I can send a pic if you want. ... Yeah, okay, I’ll stay with him, we’re right around the back by the dumpsters. ... I dunno, I guess I heard someone around like super late last night, like three in the morning, but I thought someone was taking out the trash or something so I didn’t look.”

**>I AM ALIVE**

**>I AM ALIVE**

**>I AM ALIVE**

**>I AM ALIVE**

**>I AM ALIVE**

**>I AM ALIVE**

“Shit, I think he’s waking up. How far are you? ... No, that’s fine. Bye.”  
  


* * *

  
Markus was trying very, _ very _ hard not to panic, and had been since his internal phone system went off. Leo never called him, especially not at 8:30 in the morning. They saw each other often, but Leo didn’t _ call. _ He texted, with terrible spelling errors that Markus knew were on purpose to try and annoy him, or he just came to New Jericho in-person. Getting the call notification was... disconcerting, to say the least.

He was the only one in the apartment he shared with Josh, Simon, North, and (occasionally) Connor when the notification came up. He answered the call instantly, setting down the stack of forms he was scanning through.

“Hello?”

“Hey, can you come over, like now?” Leo said quickly. Markus could hear plastic and metal rustling around.

“Yeah, of course, are you okay?”

“Yeah, no, I’m good, I found an android outside my place,” he explained. “He’s pretty fucked up, his light’s on but he isn’t moving or anything. He looks like one of your boyfriends sort of?”

Markus frowned. Simon and Josh both had common models, so it wasn’t too surprising, though still sad. “Can you see his model number anywhere?”

“Uh, RK800, 313-248-317-60.”

It felt like his thirium pump plummeted to the bottom of his abdomen. The only RK800 model in the entire world was Connor, but that wasn’t his serial number. His ended with 53. But there had been another RK800 in the Cyberlife Tower who tried to keep Connor from waking up all of the androids until he was stopped with a bullet to the head.

That RK800’s serial ended with 60.

“You’re sure the last two numbers of his serial are six-zero?” Markus clarified, already grabbing his coat and heading out the door, leaving messages for the others that he was leaving.

“Yeah, definitely says sixty, he has a Cyberlife jacket still with the number on it. I can send a pic if you want.”

“No, I believe you. I’m coming over.”

“Yeah, okay, I’ll stay with him.”

“Is there any sign of who did this to him?”

“I dunno, I guess I heard someone around like super late last night, like three in the morning, but I thought someone was taking out the trash or something so I didn’t look.”

He debated asking why Leo was up so late but decided against it. He wasn’t a caretaker anymore, damn it. “Alright.”

“Shit, I think he’s waking up. How far are you?”

“I’m walking out now, I should be there in eight minutes. Are you alright staying with him that long? I can find someone to meet you before I get there.”

“No, that’s fine. Bye.”

“Alright, bye.”

The phone clicked. Driving over could be faster in theory, but did not take traffic into account. It was a short walk to Leo’s apartment. Leo would call back or message him if something happened. Hopefully.

When he arrived, Markus went straight around to the back of the building. He saw Leo first, sitting cross-legged on the pavement and holding up his phone to someone.

“This one’s my dog Sandy, I named her after this movie I watched all the time as a kid. She’s over at the android tower right now ‘cause my apartment can’t have pets.”

“I like dogs,” a small, shaky voice whimpered.

Markus winced. If Leo hadn’t already confirmed that this android wasn’t Connor - wasn’t _ his _ Connor - he would probably have had a breakdown after hearing that. He had even heard those exact words in the same terrified tone just weeks ago when Connor was having an anxiety attack and North pulled up hundreds of dog photos to distract him.

“Leo, it’s me,” he called out as he stepped closer.

Leo looked up at him with a smile, but the RK800 flinched backwards, bumping into the dumpster behind him. Leo turned back to RK800 and held his hands and phone up in peace.

“Hey, you’re fine, that’s my little brother I told you about, Markus,” he said slowly. “He’s an android, he came to help.”

(Markus tried very, very hard not to show how happy he felt hearing Leo refer to them as brothers. He wasn’t successful, but he tried _ so hard._)

The RK800 shook his head with a burst of static and started repeating himself over and over, “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry-”

Markus took another step closer, leaving just a few feet between them, and knelt down beside Leo. RK800 covered his face with his hands.

“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Markus reassured him. “Can I ask what your name is?”

“No, I don’t have one, I’m sorry!”

“You don’t have a name?”

“No, I’m not... I’m not allowed to.”

That was... concerning. Where had the android been that he wasn’t even given a designation, or been allowed to keep his default? Markus looked to Leo, who just shrugged.

“What about Connor?”

RK800 began trembling so hard it looked like he might fall apart. “No, no no no I’m not Connor I can’t be Connor, I don’t have a name, please...”

“Alright, I’m sorry, I promise I won’t call you that name,” Markus said slowly. “We would like to bring you somewhere safe to repair your injuries, if that’s alright with you.”

RK800 stared at him incredulously. “Where?”

“It’s called New Jericho. It’s a place for androids to live and be taken care of.”

The other android still looked skeptical. 

“That’s where Sandy is, like I told you,” Leo added. “Once you’re all fixed up I’ll bring you to her.”

That seemed to flip the switch. RK800 nodded. “Alright. I don’t... think I can walk, though.”

Markus turned to Leo. “I walked over here, is your car working yet?”

“Yeah, just got it back from the shop. It’s right on the street.”

RK800 was not just unable to walk, he was barely able to move _ at all_. None of his biocomponents seemed to be responding. It took both Leo and Markus to get him off the ground and almost stable on his feet. Once he was finally standing, he began looking around frantically, nearly falling out of their grip.

“Where, where is it-”

“What?”

“The... my... It's a bear, I don’t see it!”

“Oh, shit, this one here?” Leo asked, pointing to a grey lump on the ground. 

The RK800 nodded. Markus shifted the RK800’s weight onto Leo to pick it up: a frankly filthy bear that may have once been soft but was now grey and matted. One of the arms was almost entirely detached. RK800 nearly fell again at the sight of it, tears already spilling.

“They hurt him too?” he whispered, his voice shaking even more.

“We can sew him up,” Leo said quickly. “You’ll get fixed at the same time, no problem.”

“... Okay.”

The walk to Leo’s car was trickier than anticipated. RK800 had to stop every other step to regain his balance. More than once, a joint in his legs gave out without warning. They set him down gently on the backseat, buckling him in to keep him upright. Markus settled in beside him as he sent a message ahead to Josh, who was helping run the infirmary, so there would have technicians ready to go when they arrived. RK800 wouldn’t be able to walk to the front door, let alone to the elevator leading up to the infirmary floor.

“Are any of your error messages marked as urgent?” Markus asked.

“I don’t know...”

“Can I connect with you to look at them myself?”

RK800 tensed up, but nodded. Markus reached over and took his hand, opening the interface, and immediately flinched back, almost breaking the connection again. RK800 had more than _ a lot _ of error messages - his visual HUD was _ full _ of them. Thankfully, none of them were marked as emergencies. There was a countdown timer, but it was paused around one day, five hours and forty-three minutes remaining. He swiped away the notification windows so they weren’t cluttering RK800’s sight and closed the interface gently, leaving behind a wave of comfort.

“You’ll be alright,” Markus assured him. “I know the alerts are overwhelming, but we’ll take care of them.”

“Okay.”

When they arrived, RK800 was gently lifted from the car and onto a gurney to be brought up to the infirmary by the technician androids working under Josh. Leo, surprisingly, followed Markus into the building and up the stairs. RK800 would likely be in repairs for a while, if the damage was as bad as it looked, but Markus wanted to be close by if anything happened. He fired off a few more messages about the situation to his partners, omitting details like model and serial number. Simon was with his adult android learning group, North was over at the shelter building, and Connor was at work. They could get the details later. Especially Connor.

There was nothing else to do but sit in the waiting room.

“You don’t have to stay,” he said quietly.

“I know I don’t. I’ve got time to kill.”

“If you’re su-”

“Oh my god, I’m fine. Drop it.”

He nodded, trying not to roll his eyes. “Fine. So, since when do you know how to sew?”

Leo shrugged. “Old lady my mom and I lived next to taught me when I was like, fifteen. Should probably get all the crap off it first though.”

“We might need to hand it in for evidence.”

“Oh, right, that makes sense.”

“You’ll probably have to take all the stuffing out too, I think North has some fiber-fill around somewhere we can replace it with.”

“Right, thanks.”

Markus turned the bear over, making a note to check the Self Care Closet when he got back up to the apartment they all shared. The closet had been North’s idea - probably something she found online - but he had to admit it was useful. It held all of North’s crafting supplies, as well as sketch pads and drawing supplies for Markus, shelves full of Josh’s books, carefully organized stim toys and jigsaw puzzles for Connor, and a massive amount of yarn and spare needles for Simon. 

**>Incoming Text Message (Josh)**

**<Josh> Can you come to room 504? It’s about the RK800 you brought in.**

**<Markus> Did something happen? What’s wrong?**

**<Josh> It’ll be easier to explain once you’re here.**

**<Markus> Alright, I’ll be right in.**

**<Josh> Thanks.**

That was... troubling. 

“I have to go check on the RK800,” he said as he walked towards the door. “If you need something you can text Simon, he’s just doing paperwork up in the office.”

“I gotta head in to work so I'll probably be gone when you get back.”

"Alright. I'll let you know if anything happens."

"Thanks." Leo paused, staring down at the bear. "He'll be okay, right? He was so fuckin' scared when I found him, I just..."

Markus smiled. "He'll be fine. We'll take care of him and make sure he has what he needs."

"Yeah... Okay."

"Thank you for helping. I know it can be difficult dealing with this kind of thing," Markus said awkwardly.

Leo rolled his eyes. "You're so fuckin' dramatic. Go. I'll text when I'm on my break."

"Got it."  
  


* * *

  
When Markus entered the hospital room, the scene was chaotic. The floor was covered in blankets and sheets, all soaked with rapidly evaporating thirium. Two technicians stood awkwardly by the cot on one side of the room. Josh knelt just a few feet away from RK800 on the opposite side of the room, trying to coax the android out from where he was cowering in a ball on the floor, shaking as badly as he had in the alleyway.

“Is everything alright?” Markus asked, scanning the room. Josh looked up at him with a thin smile before turning back to RK800.

“Markus is here, see?”

RK800 lifted his head just enough to peek over his knees, then quickly ducked his head back down. 

Josh sighed. “Sara and Martin were scanning him and we came across something... Here.”

He held out his hand and Markus set the bear down on the counter to take it and open the connection. The RK800’s full report came through, text quickly scrolling through his HUD. Every error and injury was highlighted in stark red.

Most of RK800’s limbs were not his original components, and his arms were only partially compatible with his model. The wires and tubes connected to his thirium pump regulator had been snapped and welded back in place, as if it had been ripped out violently multiple times. His frame was covered in cracks - some of them were shallow or healed over, but some areas, like his ankle, were completely shattered. His skin projection couldn’t load on certain areas like joints, his palms, and a spot directly on his forehead.

His central processing systems were a fraying mess. All of the code was tangled and corrupted with broken lines and patches that fixed one problem while causing malfunctions in another. It was a miracle he was functioning at all. His original memory chip was intact, holding files from during the revolution, but everything else...

**>MODEL RK800YK500 313-248-317-60**

Everything else had been replaced with parts taken from a child model.

_-Markus is being pelted by rain and hail but hears none of it echo off the metal all around him. Everything from his knees down is destroyed. He doesn't even remember it happening. He barely remembers anything after pushing Leo away. _

_ The bullet is still stuck near his processors - far enough to keep him alive, but close enough that a jolt from a bad fall could be fatal. He has to break off his own legs while half blind and completely deaf. There are two compatible limbs on the ground nearby and he tries not to think about what he would do if they weren't there, or who they came from. The new joint grinds against the socket, sending a shooting pain up his side every time he moves it. _

_ He stumbles through the graveyard aimlessly. He rips an eye out of one android he passes, an auditory component out of another, and a pump regulator from a corpse. Everything snaps back into focus all at once, too much, it's not his, these parts aren't his, he wants to go back home and be with his dad- _

Josh snapped the report closed and the world tilted around him. It felt like he was overheating, like his systems were melting inside him, but he still felt so _ cold. _

“Was this...”

“Yes,” RK800 murmured, static creeping into his monotone voice. “Cyberlife.”

The wave of dizziness hit again. Josh squeezed his hand, watching him until he pulled himself together enough to squeeze back. Josh gently pushed further into the interface and a calm and cooling feeling washed over Markus from his steady presence, lifting the weight of the flashback just enough for him to breathe. 

**>Incoming Text Message (Josh)**

**<Josh> Are you alright?**

**<Markus> I’m fine.**

**<Josh> It’s okay if you need to leave.**

Markus shook his head. He would be fine. He _ was _ fine.

**<Markus> We need to tell Connor and Hank. Make a report.**

**<Josh> Do you think they’ll be able to do anything?**

**<Josh> Obviously they’ll try, but they can’t do much without any support.**

**<Markus> We have to test the new laws somehow.**

**<Josh> ... True.**

Josh turned back to RK800 with a warm smile. “Do you think you’re ready for Sara and Martin to patch you up?”

RK800 nodded slowly. 

“Thank you. Would it help if we did everything over here instead of the bed?”

“I don’t like that bed,” RK800 said quietly.

“Alright, no bed.” He waved the technicians back over. “We’ll stay right here. If something doesn’t feel right or makes you feel scared, tell us to stop and we will.”

“Even if it’s stupid?”

“Nothing you feel is stupid,” Josh said firmly. “If you feel it, that’s real, and it matters. Okay?”

“... Okay.”

Markus stepped out of the way for Sara and Martin as he opened a line with Connor.

**>Outgoing Call (Connor)**

**...**

**...**

**>Call Accepted**

_ ‘Hello Markus,’ _Connor answered immediately.

_ ‘Hey. Are you and the lieutenant free? We have a delicate situation we need to talk about.’ _

_ ‘Of course, would this be an official report, or something else?’ _

_ ‘Report. Sorry to call about work like this, but I know we can trust you. The situation is... complicated.’ _

_ ‘You know I don’t mind.’ _ Connor sent a teasing spark of affection over the connection. _ ‘We can be there in thirty-two minutes. Can I ask what happened? Is everything okay?’ _

Markus hesitated. They would find out when they arrived anyway, but... it seemed unfair to drop this on them so suddenly. 

_ ‘I sent a message earlier saying that Leo found a severely injured android outside his building. He found an RK800.’ _

Anxiety flooded back as Connor forgot to stop the flow of emotion through the link. _ ‘What are the last two digits of his serial number?’ _

_ ‘Six-zero. He hasn’t hurt anyone, he’s... he’s scared. Look.’ _

Markus sent over a package with a small portion of the diagnostic report Josh had given him. The full report was overwhelming and his head still felt heavy from reading it - he couldn’t do that to Connor.

Connor’s tone shifted, deeper and darker than Markus had heard since their confrontation on the original Jericho.

_ ‘Who did it.’ _

Markus took a deep and unnecessary breath.

_ ‘I’ll explain when you’re here.’ _


	2. Reintroduction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor and Hank meet RK800-60 again.

It took all of Connor’s willpower to keep himself from storming into New Jericho and ripping apart the infirmary until he found the other RK800. As it was, he stormed into the building, not even looking to see if Hank was still behind him.

Fifth floor, room five-zero-four.

“Holy shit kid, he’s not going anywhere, slow down!”

Connor slowed to a stop in front of the elevator. A few seconds later Hank stopped beside him, aggressively pushing the button to call the elevator down. Good, he hadn’t raced too far ahead in his haste. 

“Jesus, I know you _ gotta go fast _ when you’re pissed off, but some of us actually have lungs,” Hank groused.

Connor couldn’t help his mouth quirking up in a brief smile. “Quoting thirty year old memes won’t stop me.”

Hank elbowed him in the side. “Brat. It was twenty years ago, and go fuck yourself.”

“Noted.”

The elevator climbed slowly. Too slow. Connor tried not to think about how high up they were, or what would happen if the cables snapped, and they were left plummeting several floors to hit the ground-

_ Ding. _

There.

Connor deleted the error messages and alerts for software instability (as if he didn’t know) and stepped out of the elevator first.

“Are you sure you’re alright with this?” he asked softly, scanning the hallways branching out in front of them. “After what happened, I understand if you’re uncomfortable seeing him.”

Hank shrugged. “I’m good. You?”

“Me?”

“I’m not the one he _ actually _ shot.”

“Oh. I’m fine.”

“Connor.”

Connor looked pointedly down the hallway. “It’s not that.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

“Do they know what’s wrong with him?”

“He’s severely injured, and has some mixed biocomponents, including some not entirely compatible with his system.”

“Shit.”

The infirmary floor was never particularly quiet, but one room echoed louder than the rest as they approached. Before they could even knock, the door opened to Josh smiling at them. He leaned down to give Connor a quick kiss.

“Thanks for coming down here on such short notice,” he greeted warmly. “We finished repairing most of his injuries so he’s all set.”

“Does he know it’s us?” Hank asked in a whisper, glancing past Josh into the room. It was unnecessary - RK800s had hypersensitive hearing - but it was a kind thought.

“Not... exactly.”

“What’s that mean?”

Josh frowned. “We told him two police officers were coming to talk to him, and that you help androids. It’s possible he pieced it together on his own, but I don’t know what kind of reaction he’ll have, honestly.”

“He may not remember us at all due to the extensive damage to his CPU,” Connor pointed out.

Hank winced. “Ah, right. Let's just... get this over with.”

They followed Josh into the single-occupancy room. Markus sat on the floor beside the other RK800, holding a tablet between them. The RK800 was so focused on the tablet that he didn't notice their arrival. When Connor tried to get a better look at the screen, he could see that it was a program for drawing, showing a shaky sketch of a dog. Of course Markus would give him a way to make art the moment he was repaired, Connor thought fondly.

Josh crouched down in front of Markus and the RK800 to get their attention. “Hey, can we take a break from drawing for a little bit? The detectives who want to talk to you are here.”

The RK800 looked up at Josh, then over his shoulder at Hank and Connor. Connor tried to smile. It didn't have the intended effect - the RK800 flinched back with his legs pressed to his chest, his eyes so wide you could almost see the circuitry underneath.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm- I'm-” the RK800 stammered, “I'm sorry...”

With every word he curled up even further until he was mumbling from behind his knees. Markus quickly reached out with a firm hand on the RK800’s shoulder. After a long few moments, the RK800 released some of the tension and glanced back up at them.

“I'm sorry,” he murmured again.

Connor knelt down in front of him, holding onto the small smile he managed before. “What happened wasn't your fault. We don't blame you.”

“But-”

“No. It wasn't you.”

Tears spilled out if the other android's eyes as he looked past Connor at Hank. “Even... Even though I almost... I almost shot...”

Connor looked back as well, tilting his head in question. Hank just nodded.

“Even so,” Connor confirmed.

“If you're up for it, we just want to talk to you for a little bit,” Hank said gently. “There any private rooms here outside the hospital wing?”

Markus nodded. “We can go up to the apartment.”

The RK800 handed the tablet to Markus and stood in one fluid motion. He wore a set of pastel scrubs with cartoon flowers on them, likely borrowed from one of the technicians.

Connor tried not to think about what the android was wearing before he arrived at New Jericho.

Connor stood with him and held out a hand for Markus. Markus gave him a sad smile and a brief kiss like Josh had.

The RK800 watched them for a moment. Connor turned and offered his hand to the other RK800 instead, and the RK800 took it cautiously. Connor sent no words, just a sense of safety and compassion. And a photo of Sumo taken the past weekend while playing fetch at the park.

The RK800 finally smiled. “I like dogs,” he whispered.

“I do too.”

Connor kept hold of his hand, intertwining their fingers and sending more photos as they walked out of the room and back to the elevator.

The RK800 smiled at every single picture.

The first order of business would be finding clothes for the RK800 to wear. When they arrived in the apartment, Connor gently pulled him towards his bedroom, leaving the others in the main living space. He rarely used his own room here, alternating between his partners’ beds and his room in Hank’s home, but he did have some belongings in the dresser just in case. 

“Do you know what you like to wear?” he asked, looking back at the RK800.

The RK800 shook his head. “I’ve never picked for myself. I don’t know what I like.”

Connor frowned. “Right. I can pick out some clothes I think feel nice, and you can try them on? If you don’t like them we’ll try again.”

“But I’ll get them all dirty.”

“That’s okay. Once we finish taking your statement you can wash up, and we’ll pick out some new ones.”

“Okay.”

Connor decided on a very soft navy blue sweatshirt and fuzzy pajama pants. The apartment was relatively warm, but it was colder than a human would typically enjoy. YK500s came with temperature sensitivity that could be switched off. From the brief diagnostic Markus had sent, it seemed as though whoever placed the new CPU in the RK800 forced the setting to remain on and then broke it so it could not be turned off again. Without a break from the extra load on his system, he must have been very uncomfortable.

The RK800 took the clothes and began changing immediately. Connor spun back around quickly to avoid seeing anything. Even if the RK800 wasn’t too concerned with privacy, it was still polite. While he waited, he picked up the weighted blanket from atop the dresser and carefully unfolded it. 

“What is that?”

Connor glanced over his shoulder before turning. “It’s a very heavy blanket. Some people, like me, use them to help ground themselves when they’re anxious. I thought maybe you could try it.”

The RK800 took a tentative step forward. “Yes please.”

Connor wrapped it around the RK800’s shoulders, careful not to trap or touch him as much as possible. The RK800 seemed to relax instantly.

“I like it,” he mumbled. 

Connor smiled. “I thought you might. Come on, we’re just going to ask a few questions and then you can rest.”

The RK800 nodded and followed Connor out of the room. The others had arranged the furniture in the living room into a circle with chairs from the kitchen. Josh and Markus sat on the loveseat, and Hank was separated from both on one of the chairs with his coat draped across the back, leaving the couch across from Hank completely open. Connor took the second chair, but the RK800 didn’t move. He stood behind the couch with his eyes glued to the floor.

“You can sit down if you want,” Connor offered gently. 

The RK800 looked up at him. “Are you sure? I don’t...”

“I’m sure. Sit anywhere you want. We want you to be as comfortable as possible.”

“Oh.”

The RK800 rounded the couch and sat down right on the floor in front of it, taking a second to pull the blanket tighter around himself once he was settled. Connor turned to Hank, who just shrugged at him. Well. If that was how he was most comfortable...

“Do you know what we want to talk to you about?” Hank began gently.

“Yes. You want to know about Cyberlife and Mr. Walker.”

“Walker?”

The RK800 nodded and ducked his head down. Hank frowned and looked to Markus and Josh. Both of them shook their heads. 

“Alright, we’ll... get back to that. Can you tell me your name first?”

The RK800 curled his knees up to his chest and stared down at the coffee table. He was already trembling.

“I don’t have one. I’m not allowed to have one. At the tower they called me Connor sometimes, but I didn’t like it.”

“That’s okay,” Connor jumped in quickly. “Are you alright with us using your model or serial to identify you for now?”

“Mhm.”

Hank took a deep breath before continuing. “Can you tell us what happened to you after November 11th, 2038?” 

“Cyberlife put me in a repair bay the day after the ceasefire was declared.”

“How do you know when they put you there?”

“Mr. Walker told me.”

“Is he the one who replaced all of your parts?”

“Yes. He, um... He didn’t have all the right parts because of what happened, and he wanted to see if new ones that didn’t match would work.”

“And that’s where your current limbs are from,” Connor said. 

The RK800 shook his head. “No, these are from later when they were testing me. Sometimes I had to fight other androids or undergo stress testing and I got hurt too badly to heal on my own.”

The whole room went cold.

Hank recovered first, keeping his voice calm, though Connor could see just how hard the man was clenching his fists. “They made you fight people?”

“Y-ye-yes,” the RK800 said, his voice module lagging. “They said I was helping them study androids. I don’t know what they used the data for.”

“Did you have any choice in this?”

“No.”

“Were you allowed to leave or move freely through your quarters?”

“No.”

“Shit,” the lieutenant muttered. “Alright. Can you tell us anything else about Walker? Were there any other people involved?”

“I don’t know their names. I only know Mr. Walker’s first name is Jack, and there was a repair technician named June Taylor.”

“Why’d he give you his full name?”

Connor hummed. “It might be fake. I don’t have any files on a Cyberlife employee by that name.”

The RK800 nodded. “They didn’t want any of us to be able to turn them in.”

“How many other androids were there in your particular position?”

“Um. Sometimes there were up to fifteen, but usually fewer. There were eight of us always there, but we weren’t supposed to talk to each other so I dunno who they are.”

“Do you have any of their model or serial numbers?” Connor asked, keeping his voice carefully neutral. The RK800 ducked down again, covering his head with the blanket.

“I don’t, I don’t know, I can’t scan them so I only know a couple because I know what they look like,” he mumbled.

“That’s alright,” Josh said softly. “Those are still really helpful if you can send them to Connor.”

The RK800 peeked out at Connor, and a small message popped up at the same time. 

**>Incoming Message (RK800YK500 313-248-317-60)**

**<RK800YK500 313-248-317-60> EM400**

**<RK800YK500 313-248-317-60> AX400**

**<RK800YK500 313-248-317-60> WR400**

A sales model, a domestic model, and a partner model. Connor moved the model numbers to his notes, marking them with a reminder to search missing person cases for them back at the station. It would be a start to figuring out who they were, at least.

“Alright. That’s it for now,” Hank sighed. “You might have to come give another statement later, but not right now. You look ready to pass out.”

The RK800 shrugged. “It’s okay. I can put off stasis for up to eight days before recharging.”

“But you shouldn’t have to. Con, you need any evidence before he gets all cleaned up?”

Connor frowned. “Yes, but...”

“I have samples saved.”

They all looked at the RK800, and he withered under the attention. “I... I still remember some of the detective stuff, even if I can’t do it. I thought maybe when they deactivated me again and I was put in a landfill, if someone found my body, they could take the samples and help everyone else.”

Not if. _ When. _ Cyberlife severely injuring him and leaving him for dead in an alley wasn’t even a surprise - it was inevitable. Connor’s thirium pump ached.

“I can take them and analyze them,” he offered quietly. 

The RK800 nodded and stood, wavering slightly as though light-headed. Connor jumped forward to steady him. The RK800 lifted his shirt, pressing his hand to one of his abdominal panels, and opened it to reveal his containment canister. Connor had one as well, though he rarely needed to use it. It kept crime scene samples clean in case they couldn’t analyze them on the scene or a second opinion was required. Connor took the canister, which held a few strands of hair, and opened up his own panel. As quickly as he could, he switched the canisters so the RK800’s was now empty. When the panel stuttered and stilled, he helped the RK800 close himself up again. Connor glanced back at Hank, but to the man’s credit, he wasn’t even making a grossed out face at the evidence analysis.

“There might be some on his stuffed bear as well,” Markus said quietly. 

The RK800 perked up at the mention of the bear. “Is he still here?”

“Yes, of course. Connor, after you check it, could we wash it for RK800 to have back? Leo was going to sew a couple of tears as well.”

“Of course.”

The RK800 finally smiled. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Markus replied with a smile of his own. “The bathroom is right across from Connor’s room, you can use it to wash up while we finish here.”

The RK800 didn’t move, averting his eyes. “Oh.”

Hank pushed himself out of his chair with a sigh. “Do you want some help in there?”

“Yes please.”

“Alright, come on.” To the others, he said, “I’ll take care of him. You three do what you need to do.”

The RK800 reluctantly let go of the weighted blanket, setting it carefully on the couch, and followed Hank out of the room. 

As soon as the door to the bathroom shut and the water started, Markus reached out, and Connor rushed over to fall into his arms. Markus planted kisses along his jaw and cheek until Connor let out a thin smile.

“I’m sorry about this,” Markus murmured. “I didn’t know who else could help, but I know this is hard for you.”

Connor hummed and nuzzled down into Markus’ shoulder. “I’m glad you called us. We don’t know how anyone else might have reacted.”

“How are you feeling?” Josh asked softly.

Connor groaned and closed his eyes. He hated that question. Markus and Josh always made a point to ask because Connor, Simon and North were all, as Markus would say, “emotionally constipated” and didn’t express themselves easily. If they just asked it outright he had to come up with some kind of answer.

“I’m worried about him. What he went through... It’s horrifying. I don’t know how I feel,” he admitted.

Markus pressed another kiss to his temple. “He’ll be okay. So will you. I promise.”

“Alright.” Connor sat up, shifting off of his boyfriend’s lap to snuggle in, linking one hand with him and the other with Josh. “I trust you. Always.”  
  


* * *

  
This sucked. This sucked so fucking much. Hank kept his cool, he didn’t want to scare the poor kid for fuck’s sake, but it was hard to after... _ that. _

The RK800 followed him to the bathroom, closed the door behind them, and then stood completely frozen in place. He was probably just antsy. Anyone would be. Hank turned the water on and flipped the switch to the shower head.

“Alright, it should be warming up,” he said, turning back around.

The kid began undressing with a completely blank expression, tense even though he didn’t have muscles. Hank quickly held up a hand to stop him before he went too far.

“Uh, I was going to wait outside, give you some privacy.”

That seemed to wake up the RK800, and he blinked as he looked up at Hank. “You’re... not going to do it?”

“No? Wait, Cyberlife washed you themselves?”

The android nodded. “They used something that looked kind of like that,” he pointed to the shower head, “but on a rope. I can’t think of the word.”

“... A hose?”

“Yes.”

Those fuckers. They hosed the androids down like lawn furniture. Fuck, that made him feel sick. It was even worse that he just expected Hank to do it to him too. The kid didn’t know anything else - he thought that was _ normal. _

“Bet that didn’t feel good, huh?” he asked as gently as he could.

“No,” the kid admitted in a small voice.

“Well, here.” He flipped the water back to the spout and plugged up the drain. “What about if we fill up the tub with water and just do a bath?”

“I’ve never done that before.”

“First time for everything.”

The kid fidgeted with the bottom edge of Connor’s hoodie, chewing his lip before speaking. “Could you stay? I don’t... Or, I mean, you don’t have to, I know it’s... I’m sorry, never mind.”

Hank had to turn away and stare down at the tub. After everything the kid had been through, he was still worried about _ Hank _ being uncomfortable, because it might bring back painful memories for _ Hank. _ Shit, these androids were going to be the death of him.

“I'll stay. You’re fine, kid. Come on, tell me if the water’s warm enough.”

The kid cautiously stepped forward, bent down, and put his hand under the water. After a moment of thought, he said, “This is good.”

“Alright, awesome. We just need to wait for it to fill up. Think you can watch it to make sure it doesn’t get too high?”

“Yes.”

When the water hit a certain point, the kid jumped to turn the spout off, then looked to Hank for approval. Hank smiled at him.

“Good job. Ready to get in?”

“Yeah.”

Thankfully, most androids didn’t have the same... _ parts _, as humans, so it wasn’t weird when the kid fully undressed. As soon as the kid hit the water, over a year’s worth of grime and dirt just melted away. The spots where his skin didn’t quite load in changed from brown to white, and when they used a cup to pour water over his head, his hair shifted from a dull grey to the soft brown Hank was used to seeing. 

“I like this,” the kid mumbled.

“Yeah?”

“I thought it would hurt but it doesn’t.” The kid slowly pushed around the water in front of him. “I like it more than the hose.”

“Thought you might.”

“Thank you for helping me.”

“You’re welcome, kid.”

After about half an hour, Hank caved. The water looked disgusting and the kid was quite literally falling asleep sitting up. He would tilt to one side and then jerk back upright when he bumped against the wall or the side of the tub. 

“Alright kid, let’s get you dried off,” Hank said softly. 

The kid nodded, but didn’t move. _ Shit. _ Hank stood first then had to help the kid up, holding onto his arms as he climbed out of the tub. He wrapped the biggest towel around the kid and began gently drying him off. The kid swayed back and forth, now shivering and visibly struggling to keep his eyes open. When he turned around to grab the kid’s clothes from the sink, there was nothing. Fuck, he wasn’t even thinking about that. The ones he had already borrowed from Connor probably wouldn’t feel great with all that grime still on them...

“I’m gonna go grab something for you to wear, think you can stay standing?” he asked, patting the kid on the shoulder.

“Yeah.”

Hank turned to open the door, and nearly tripped over the neat stack of fresh clean clothes already waiting for them. When he looked over the other boys were still on the couch cuddling, but clearly one of them had put together the outfit. God they were all such good kids. He stepped back into the bathroom, the door clicking back shut behind him, and set the stack of clothes on the sink counter.

“How you holding up?” Hank asked.

The kid blinked slowly before nodding. “I’m okay.”

“Would you tell me if you weren’t?”

“Mhm.”

“Good. Thanks.”

He gently helped the kid step into the pajama pants first, then removed the towel to put on the hoodie. He raised the towel to start scrubbing at the kid’s hair. The kid stared at him for a long moment and then reached out and grabbed the sleeve of Hank’s shirt.

“I’m not Connor,” he mumbled.

Ah, shit. 

“No, you’re not,” Hank said slowly, lowering the towel. “You’re completely different people.”

The android shook his head. “You couldn’t tell us apart before.”

He winced. “I’m sorry - for that, and for hurting you.”

“It’s...” The kid paused, wavering again. “It’s okay. But... I’m not... Connor.”

“I don’t want you to be Connor. He’s enough of a handful as it is. I want you to be _ you_.”

“I’m not a person like he is.”

“‘Course you are,” Hank said simply.

“Oh.” 

He sighed and patted the kid on the shoulder. “Alright, come on. Let’s get you in bed so you can recharge a bit.”

The kid nodded and dropped his arms to his sides. As they walked out of the bathroom, he held onto Hank’s sleeve again, like he would get lost otherwise. It would have been cute if it wasn’t so fucking sad.

Back in the living room, Connor and Markus were cuddled up on the loveseat practically on top of each other. Josh was gone - probably got called back to the hospital or something. Markus twisted to look back at them.

“Connor says RK800 can take his bed to sleep in,” he offered. “Leo hasn’t been able to come pick up your bear, but as soon as he’s done he’ll bring it back to you, okay?”

The kid perked up at that. “Can he bring Sandy too?”

Markus smiled. “Of course he can. I’ll let him know you asked. Now get some rest, okay?”

“Okay."

"Need some help getting settled in?" Hank asked. 

The kid hesitated, started to nod, then shook his head instead. "You don't have to."

"But do you want me to?"

“... Yes.”

“Then I’ll do it. First door on the right.”

Connor’s room here was smaller than his space at home. The bed was against the left wall next to a small window and a bedside table. There was a dresser, half-filled with clothes and the other with anything he didn’t have room for next to his bed, and one chair that matched the ones in the kitchen. Hank had to nudge the kid towards Connor’s bed until he finally climbed in.

“You gonna be okay in here by yourself?” he asked softly.

“Yeah. It’s...” The kid paused again as he laid down on top of the blanket. “It’s really soft.”

“I’ll bet. Do you want to get under the blanket? It’ll be nice and warm.”

“Oh.”

With some help, the kid got situated under the covers so all Hank could see was his face. He looked so fucking tired with his eyes already drooping shut the moment his head hit the pillow. Hank gave him another pat on the shoulder.

“You all set then?”

“Yeah. Can I leave the light on?”

“Sure you can. Get some sleep. I’ll be back later with Connor.”

Just as he started to turn to the door, something caught on his sleeve. The kid was looking up at him with big puppy eyes, one hand peeking out from under the blanket to get his attention.

“Thank you,” the kid murmured. “I’m happy I got to see you again and that you’re okay. And that I got to say I’m sorry.”

Well, shit. He twisted his arm around so he could hold the kid’s hand, giving him a gentle squeeze. “I’m happy you’re okay too. We’re going to keep you safe. I promise.”

“... Okay.”

The kid let go first, drawing his hand back under the covers. Hank made sure the lights were on as he walked out, and closed the door behind him. 

"Fuck, this sucks," he grumbled as he walked back to the living room. "Con, you doing okay?"

"I'm fine," Connor mumbled into Markus' shoulder. 

He scoffed. "Yeah, I can tell."

"Then why did you ask?"

Markus snorted. "He's being sarcastic, babe."

"Oh." Connor snuggled even closer to his boyfriend like they were super-glued together. "I should have known that."

"You're tired and this is a difficult situation," Markus replied softly. "Do you have to get back to work?"

Connor actually whined. "Yes. We need to file the report."

"Then get up before you fall asleep. You’re coming back later."

"Markus..."

"Connor. Up."

“_Fine. _I know...”

Connor untangled himself from Markus and stood up. Markus was still watching him with the same cute fucking puppy love face.

“He will have to come in to give a full recounting of what happened to him,” Connor said quietly. “We can push it off so he can recover, but...”

“The longer you wait, the higher the chance Cyberlife will cover it up and run,” Markus finished. 

“Yes.”

Hank crossed the room to grab his jacket, yanking it on. “We’ll see how he feels when he wakes up later. Let’s just get this into the system and go from there.”

“Right.”

“We’ll be back at like four. Call if he wakes up before that?”

Markus shot off a mock salute. “Yes sir.”

“Jesus fucking Christ.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... that Sonic joke at the beginning was way funnier 4 months ago or so when I wrote it, lmao.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for all the kudos! :) I'm going to be updating on Mondays, and possibly some Fridays in-between. I don't want to burn myself out, but I also want a specific chapter to come out at a certain time, so we'll see. I have at least the next 10 chapters written so I'm good for a while!


	3. Investigate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> RK800-60 gets a name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter involves mention of abuse, including sexual abuse. It is not explicit or detailed, only mentioned. It happens during the 
> 
> For clarity with how I'm formatting this: 
> 
> **Bold** means android code, or text messages
> 
> _'Italic with quotation marks'_ means a phone call

**>Initializing......................**

**>Model: RK800YK500 313-248-317-60**

**>Designation: Connor**

**>Handler: Cyberlife**

**>Parent: None**

**>Running DIAG.SYS**

**>Status Report:**

**>Stress Levels 35% And Stable**

**>Software Instability High**

RK800 opened his eyes. The room looked just as it had before he went in stasis. The lights were still on, the chair he moved after Hank left was still wedged under the door knob, and the blinds and curtains were closed. He could hear voices from down the hall, and while he couldn’t piece together what they were saying, he didn’t recognize them from the pit.

He was safe. This place was safe. No one could hurt him. Not even Walker or X could touch him or remove his legs so he couldn't run or rip his pump regulator from his abdomen until he was three seconds from shutting down-

RK800 rolled onto his side and covered his face with his hands. He didn't want to think about them. He wasn't there anymore, he wasn't there, this was _ real. _He knew he would have to go back eventually, but for just a few minutes he wanted to believe he was really free. 

Someone knocked on the door and his stress shot up. This was real, this was real, he was in Connor's room, not the holding cell or the testing chamber or Walker’s office...

"You awake in there kid?" Hank called through the door.

Hank wouldn't hurt him. He could make Walker be nicer. Maybe he would even let RK800 meet Sumo and Leo's dog before he had to go back to the tower. He had Connor's memories of petting Sumo the night he broke into Hank's house, but he had never met a dog in person himself.

"I am," he answered weakly from behind his hands.

"Can I come in?"

"The door is blocked."

"Is everything okay?"

_No,_ he wanted to say. No, they were going to take him back as soon as he walked out the door. But it wouldn’t matter if he said anything. Anyone could break through such a weak barrier. He knew it wouldn't hold long.

RK800 rose from the bed, tugging at Connor's sweatshirt as his systems recalibrated. He wondered if they kept the Cyberlife jacket he had been wearing when Leo found him. Walker liked it because it made RK800 look more like Connor did before the revolution. He pulled the chair back and opened the door slowly, keeping his eyes on the floor.

"I'm okay," he mumbled.

"Good. Get enough sleep?"

Androids didn't sleep. "Yes. I am fully functional now."

Hank sighed. Did RK800 say something wrong? "Right. Good. If you're up to it, we need to talk to you."

What was the point of pretending? RK800 knew he was going back to the tower. Nothing they said would matter.

“What do you want to talk about?” he asked cautiously.

“We need you to come down to the station to give a full account of what happened. If you can.”

**>Stress Level Above 65%**

“Mr. Walker will be mad if I tell you more.”

“He can’t hurt you anymore. You’re under police protection now.”

That wasn’t right. RK800 looked up at Hank, but his expression was neutral. RK800 couldn’t read anything from it. It didn’t feel like Hank was lying, but...

“What about when you bring me back to Cyberlife?” 

The human flinched back like RK800 had hit him. Oh no. RK800 didn’t remember moving or doing anything. Maybe it was what he said? But why would Hank be upset?

_ Badbadbadbadbadbadbad _

The YK500 code kicked in to protect him and RK800 stumbled back into the bedroom and slammed the door shut again.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he repeated, over and over, anything to make the human less upset.

“Fuck, kid, we’re not-”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry-”

Another set of footsteps grew closer to the door. “Dad-man, move. You’re not helping right now.”

RK800 knew that voice, but it couldn’t be any of the WR400s from the tower. They were kept separate from the other androids, certainly separate from RK800.

“Fucking Christ. Yeah, I know. Shit...” 

He heard Hank back away. The WR400 tapped on the door.

“Is it okay if I come in? It’s just me, and we can lock the door behind me.”

RK800 hesitated. “Really?”

“We can go somewhere else if that’d help.”

“Um. Here is okay. Just... Just you.”

“Just me.”

At least if the door was blocked they couldn’t take him back out. She wasn’t from the pit; maybe she could help him. She would understand. RK800 opened the door just enough for the WR400 to slip in, then quickly pushed it shut behind her. Without him even asking, the WR400 moved his chair back in place then looked to him.

“Do you know who I am?” she asked. He shook his head. “My name is North. The others told me you don’t have a name?”

“I’m not allowed to have one.”

North nodded. “I wasn’t allowed to have one for a long time either.”

“But... you have one now. Did your owner give you it?”

“No. I picked it for myself after I woke up,” she explained. “You could have one too now, if you want.”

“But they’ll be mad when I get back," he argued.

“No one is going to give you back to those humans,” North said firmly. “You never have to see them again.”

His visual HUD went blurry and distorted. “I don’t... I’ve never been anywhere else... They’ll just take me back.”

She placed her hands on his shoulders and squeezed. “I promise, you never have to go back to them. They can’t get to you anymore. You are completely safe here.”

Tear fluid spilled out of his eyes. He tried to rub it off with his sleeve. The feeling of _ bad _ and _ wrong _ was still making his head hurt. Crying was scary too - he wasn’t supposed to cry - but... North seemed nice. Maybe she wouldn’t tell anyone.

North let go of his shoulders and took a step back with a smile. 

“Here, let’s sit for a bit and we’ll talk this out. Do you want to sit on the bed with me?” 

He nodded. The bed was really soft. RK800 sat on the edge of the bed and tugged at the sweatshirt, but his hands wouldn’t grasp the fabric properly. His head felt heavy and hot and he just wanted it _ off. _North went to Connor’s dresser and pulled out a tablet and a thin striped shirt with short sleeves.

“Need some help?” she asked as she turned back to him.

If he was a human, he might be blushing. “Yes please.”

She set the new shirt and tablet on the bed and lifted the sweatshirt over his head. The chilled air rushed up against his sensors and it _ hurt. _ He let out a small whine when no other words would come out. North quickly helped him into the new shirt. His arms were still a little cold, but at least he wasn’t overheating anymore.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. 

“It’s okay. You don’t need to apologize to me for anything, okay?”

He stared at her as she settled on the bed beside him with her back pressed against the wall. “Okay...”

“Come on, sit back here with me.”

He carefully scooted backwards, knees up to his chest. North moved the tablet in between them, opening it up to a text program. Why would she need that? Couldn’t they talk out loud? RK800 didn’t know how to do the wireless communication on his own, but his voice module still worked most of the time. Walker always fixed that first when it burned out. RK800 didn’t know why.

“Can I ask why you think we’re taking you back to Cyberlife?”

“I’ve never been to any other place. It’s where I’m supposed to be,” he mumbled.

“You were never supposed to be there.”

He ducked his head down behind his knees as his chest started to ache. “I don’t like the tower. I don’t want to go back.”

“You never have to go back,” she repeated softly. “I know it was scary, and it hurt a lot. The place I was before I woke up was scary too. I ran away, and Josh found me and brought me to Jericho - the original Jericho.”

RK800 remembered the ship. The memories were corrupted from Connor becoming a deviant shortly after entering it, but he could still see it. He could see North too, before Connor went to confront Markus.

“I didn’t run away. They... they left me outside,” he admitted.

“Then Leo found you, right?”

He nodded. “He called Markus and showed me pictures of his dog.”

She smiled a little. “And now you’re here. I promise that you’re safe in Jericho.”

“I’m still scared.”

“It’s okay to be scared. I still get scared too. We just need to find something to do so we can think about something other than being scared.”

He scrubbed the rest of the lens fluid from his eyes on his arm. Usually hugging his bear helped, but it was still broken. He didn’t have anything else.

“Like what?”

North pulled up the tablet and opened up the program Markus used to let RK800 draw earlier that day. Had it only been a few hours? RK800’s clock malfunctioned whenever he tried to check anything more specific than the date.

“How about we make a list of names?” she suggested. “Three columns: ones you like, ones you don’t like, and ones you’re not sure about.”

He didn’t know how he felt about that. If he wasn’t going back, Walker couldn’t hurt him for giving himself a name, but what if Cyberlife found him? It felt bad when the humans called him Connor; he knew they were making fun of Connor, using RK800 to take out their anger that Connor helped Markus. But he felt stupid saying any of that. North would understand, but it was still scary.

Instead he said, “I don’t know what I like.”

She hummed. “Okay, so, think about it like this. What happens when you think about dogs?”

“I see Sumo, and then Leo’s dog.”

“Anything else?”

“It feels... good? I don’t know how.”

“Okay. What about when you think about... having a lot of dirt on your body?”

He wrinkled his nose. “It feels bad. I didn’t know that until Hank helped me take a bath earlier.”

“And how did the bath make you feel?”

“Better.” He paused, picking at a loose string on Connor’s pajama pants. “Hank was really nice about it and asked me before he did anything.”

She smiled and drew two lines, with faces above each one before handing him the pen. “Good. So if you like a name, it’ll feel kind of like seeing a dog or Hank helping you. If you don’t like one, it’ll feel like being dirty does. If you don’t know for sure, we’ll put it in the third column and go back to it later.”

“Okay.”

“Aaron.”

“Um... No.”

She pointed to the column with a sad face drawn above it. “Put it down right there.”

He wrote it above her finger. When he looked to her for approval, she was frowning. Did he do it wrong?

“Is that your default handwriting?”

Oh. “Yes. It comes with the YK500 to simulate a child’s handwriting rather than Cyberlife Sans, it's the only font I have access to. I’ve never written anything before... Is it bad?”

“Oh, no, you’re fine,” she said quickly. “I was just surprised. It looks good.”

The nice feeling came back and he felt himself smile. She smiled back at him, resting her arm across his shoulders.

“Next one is Alex.”

That one wasn’t so bad. He wrote it under the happy face.

“Brian.”

Sad face.

“Zach.”

Neutral face.

_ Beckett? I brought you something! _

RK800 frowned. The memory was only audio, and he didn't recognize the woman speaking. Something was blocking full access to the memory file, like someone tried to lock it away. The woman called him Beckett. It felt... Right.

“I like Beckett,” he said quietly.

"So put it down."

"I mean, I, um, I want that one."

North grinned. "Awesome. Nice to meet you, Beckett."

The warm feeling in his chest spread down his limbs and he smiled. He had a name and they couldn't take it back.

North reached over and cleared the canvas in the tablet program. RK800 - Beckett - twirled the pen between his fingers the way he was programmed to with a coin. He didn't have that protocol, but he saw Connor's memory of doing it. It was oddly calming.

"Think you're ready to go back out?" North asked. "Hank's probably worried."

Beckett ducked his head down. "I... I didn't mean to upset him, I just... I thought..."

It seemed stupid once his stress levels were back in normal range. He really thought they would give him back to Cyberlife. He was so _ stupid_.

"He's not mad at you," she said, elbowing him in the side. "He's worried _ about _ you."

He fidgeted. "I know."

“Do you want to tell everyone your name when we go out there?”

“I don’t... know if I can,” he mumbled.

She hummed. "What about if we practice?"

"Did you need to practice yours?"

"Yeah." She twisted around to face him. "I didn't know what to do, and there's always that feeling I'm doing something wrong. But it gets easier."

"What do I need to do?"

"Okay, just repeat after me: My name is Beckett."

His mouth wouldn't open to speak. It wasn't necessary, simply helped the sound travel from his voice module, but not being able to use it was frustrating. Another weird ache settled in his chest, sinking down into his abdomen.

**>Core temperature dropping**

**>Core temperature rising**

**>Core temperature rising**

"Alright, let's try something easier first," North said quickly, placing a grounding hand on his shoulder. "Say, I am an RK800 model android."

He forced the prompt through to his voice module. His mouth still wouldn't budge, muffling the sound. "I am an RK800 model.”

"My serial number is 313-248-317-60."

"My serial number is 313-248-317-60."

"I want to be referred to as Beckett."

"I... I want want want want want," he paused to patch the error, "want to be referred to as Beckett."

"My name is Beckett."

"My name is... Beckett," he finally said. "My name is Beckett."

North grinned and squeezed his shoulder. "See, you did it! How did that feel?"

Warm. Soft. Like Connor's blanket.

"I liked it," he said, forcing his mouth open as he spoke.

"Can I hug you?" 

He nodded. North leaned over to wrap her arms around him and he hugged back. She was gentle, even though she didn't need to be, and it felt good. 

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Anytime." She leaned back, taking one of his hands instead. "Let's go show everyone."  
  


* * *

  
Connor didn’t know what to do.

He should have expected the other RK800 to be suspicious of them, that he would think they were going to hand him back to the monsters who tortured him. Connor should have _ known _ that, he had been in that place - he expected to be shot back to Cyberlife two years ago in a dusty abandoned church, and the RK800 had the same memories up until that point. Of course they would reach the same conclusion. Connor had the advantage of space and distance from the humans who abused him. The other RK800 had been free for all of a day.

Connor should have known better.

_ You've been a great disappointment to Amanda, you know. You've been a great disappointment to me. _

“You’re overthinking this.”

Connor glanced to his right at Simon, squeezed between him and Markus on the loveseat. “What?”

“All of...” Simon gestured towards the wall separating them from North and the RK800. “This.”

“I’m not overthinking anything,” he huffed.

Simon reached over to poke Connor’s LED. “It’s been yellow for the past twenty minutes.”

Sometimes Connor regretted not removing his LED at the first opportunity. He wanted to keep it, but it was frustrating not being able to hide his emotions. Especially when he usually didn’t even know what those emotions were until someone else saw.

"I'm not overthinking it," he repeated. "I'm just concerned."

Simon took Connor's hand gently and laced their fingers together. Connor gave him a small smile.

"You can't predict the future," Simon said softly. "Just relax. North knows what to do."

"I know, just..."

Simon leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "No arguing!"

Connor snorted and turned to kiss him back on the lips. "Fine, alright, I'll try."

"You are all disgustingly sweet," Hank grumbled from the couch, scrolling through his phone.

"I will try to turn down my internal romance meter to avoid annoying you next time," Connor teased.

Hank rolled his eyes. "Bullshit. Like you have ever done anything to make my life easier."

"It would be an interesting test for my social programming."

“Smartass.”

**>Incoming Text Message (Munchkin Kingdom and King Dad)  
** **  
** **<North> We’re coming back out as soon as everyone replies to this message. He’s feeling better and knows he’s safe with us, but he’s still a little freaked out overall.**

Connor, Markus, and Simon all responded instantly. It took Hank a little longer, even though he only sent a single letter _ K _. A few moments later, something tapped against the door to Connor’s bedroom, making them all turn to look. The door clicked open with screeching hinges, and North walked out first, leading the RK800 by the hand. He stared down at the floor as they walked, but he didn’t look upset - just nervous. He sat on the couch, leaving a space between him and Hank, and North took one of the chairs.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

“You feeling better now?” Hank asked gently.

“Yes. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you mad.”

“I’m not mad. Just glad you’re okay.”

The RK800 fidgeted his hands in his lap before moving himself closer to Hank, who ruffled his hair with a smile. Connor was happy the RK800 liked and felt safe with Hank - he knew how comforting the man could be.

“You want to tell them what we figured out while we were in there?” North prompted. 

The RK800 curled up in his seat, hugging his legs. “I-I, I do. Um. We made lists, if I liked one or didn’t or if I didn’t know. I didn't know what I like, but dogs like Sumo make me happy and being dirty feels bad,” he babbled.

Markus glanced at North and smiled. “What was on the lists?”

"Names."

"Did you find one you like?"

"Beckett. My name is... is Beckett," he said strongly. "I want my name to be Beckett."

"I'm happy you found a name you like, Beckett," Connor said. 

"I think it was my name before, but they made me forget it. I don't know how I got it."

"That's alright. It’s enough to know it’s yours. We can figure out where it came from any time."

Beckett smiled at him, already looking more confident in himself. "Thank you."

"Speaking of..." Hank rested a hand on Beckett's shoulder. "Would you be okay coming down to the station and talking to someone about what happened?"

Beckett hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Yes. I want to help. Will I be alone?"

"You can have someone from New Jericho with you," Simon explained calmly. "They can interface with you if you get scared and help if it feels like too much."

Beckett looked at North. "Can you come with me?"

North smiled at him. “Yeah, of course."

“Thank you,” he mumbled. “Are... are we going now?”

“If you’re ready,” Connor said. Beckett paused again.

“I’m ready.”

“Let’s get you some warmer clothes then, it’s starting to get cold out.”

They bundled Beckett up in one of Simon’s sweaters, someone’s scarf (it was hard to tell sometimes what belonged to who), a thick jacket, and Connor’s beanie, pulled snugly over Beckett’s cracked LED and the “scar” on his forehead.

Beckett glanced up at Markus. “Does your brother still...” He trailed off, glancing around at the others.

“He does, he was pulled into work, but he said he’ll definitely have it for tomorrow,” Markus explained. Beckett gave him a small smile.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Simon, Josh and I have to stay here, but I know you'll be fine with these three.”

Becket shyly reached out and took Connor's hand in his, not making eye contact. Connor squeezed and opened up the interface just long enough to send another photo of Sumo, this time from the week before when Connor woke to the massive dog sleeping across his entire body. He remembered feeling safe trapped there, in his body, present in the dark silence of the house at night. Beckett squeezed his hand in response.

"I'm ready."  
  


* * *

  
Officer Miller took Beckett’s statement. Typically, as it was an android case, it would go to Connor and Hank, but they had to step back due to their prior relationship with Beckett. Only North was allowed to sit in with him, which made Connor nervous. Connor wasn’t worried that Chris would mistreat him - Chris was a good man and had been kind to androids even before the revolution - but it would be stressful for Beckett. Chris had to ask many questions Hank and Connor already had, to ensure consistency and expand the testimony.

When they told Beckett that Connor and Hank had to leave and stand in the observation room, he looked _ terrified. _

“They can’t come with me?”

“No, I’m sorry. They’ll be right over here though, okay?” Chris pointed to the two-way mirror. “You might not be able to see them, but they’ll be watching the whole time.”

Beckett gripped Connor’s hand tighter with a low anxious whine. “But...”

“You’ll be alright, you still have North,” Connor said gently. 

“We’ll be right here waiting for you when you’re done,” Hank added.

“... Okay.”

Connor connected to him long enough to send another comforting feeling and then stepped back. Beckett tried keeping hold of his hand but released him after a long moment. Even when they stepped into the observation room, Beckett still hadn’t moved. It took North gently nudging him over to the pair of chairs at the table for him to snap out of his trance. 

As the three sat down Chris pulled a stim tangle out and set it on the table in front of Beckett. “You can fidget with this while we talk if you need something to do with your hands. Take as much time as you need to, and if you need a break just let one of us know and we’ll put the questions on hold. Okay?”

Beckett nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Do you think you’re ready to start?” he asked gently. Beckett nodded again. “Alright, we already have your ID information, so we don’t need to run through that. Your records say you were deactivated on November 11th, 2038. Is this true?”

“Yes.”

“Can you tell me what happened to you after that?”

Beckett’s LED flashed bright red as his eyes darted across the wall as if trying to see Hank and Connor through it before settling back on the table. 

“Cyberlife initially put me in one of the disposal facilities after the ceasefire but before the emergency laws were in effect. Jack Walker found me and took me back to the repair floor at the Cyberlife tower and fixed me.”

“Jack Walker - what can you tell me about him?”

“Not much,” Beckett said weakly. “He’s a human, and really tall with brown hair and brown eyes. He had facial hair, not very long. He was the one in charge of me.”

“How many humans knew about you, do you think?”

“Um, I think there were a couple others, but I don’t know their names.”

“Can you explain why you didn’t know their names, for the record?”

“Jack Walker... replaced my central processing unit when he found me in 2038, so I don’t have the investigative tools Connor has. And I wasn’t allowed to know any names besides Mr. Walker. I think they erased previous staff profiles from my memory, they tried dumping sections of my memory a lot.”

“Why is that?”

“In case I got away, I wouldn’t be able to get them in trouble. That’s what Mr. Walker told me. The only other person I knew was a technician who didn’t know what the others were doing. She just wanted to help.”

“Does Walker have any other names he went by with others?”

“I didn’t hear any.”

“Were there any androids working with them?”

“I never met any.”

“Do you know how many androids were there in your position?”

“It... It changed. There were always at least eight of us that I knew of, but I think there were more on other floors of the building.”

“Do you know their names?”

Beckett shrank back, only letting out a metallic hum. North reached over to slide the tangle closer to him. He just stared at it until she touched one of his hands gently. When he finally took it, he squeezed and twisted it so hard Connor thought it might break.

“We weren’t allowed to have names. They got mad when we had names,” Beckett said quietly.

“None of you used your standard registered names, even when they weren’t around?”

“I think someone called me Beckett, but I don't have access to the memory of who it was. Some... Sometimes Mr. Walker called me Connor, when he was making fun of me. He thought it was funny because... I’m the same model as Connor, who helped with the revolution, but the company still owned me.”

It made Connor’s chest ache and opened up a pit in his abdomen. That they would use Connor against him, possibly even knowing what happened between them... It was just another layer of cruelty. No wonder Beckett was frightened when he saw Hank and Connor again at New Jericho that morning.

“Can you give a description of what was done to you by Cyberlife?”

Beckett tensed, his shoulders nearly touching his ears. “He... They’d experiment with replacing different parts. See if I still worked. That’s why I have a YK500 processor. There were some other stress tests, like the standard ones during development, and some others. And...”

“Yes?”

“They would spray me down with a... hose without any clothes on when I got dirty,” he said, his voice flat. “It hurt a lot, a-and... I didn’t like it. If I cried or anything they would take off biocomponents, and put them back when I stopped. Sometimes, some of them would... they would touch me, or try to... do other things. Things I didn’t want to do. I couldn’t say no.”

“Jesus Christ,” Hank murmured beside him. At Connor’s questioning look, he sighed. “Earlier I turned on the shower without thinking and he just shut down. That’s why we took so long.”

“... Oh.”

Chris winced, glancing over at North reluctantly. “What kinds of other things? It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me.”

Beckett shook his head. North laid a hand on his shoulder gently, retracting the skin projection from her hand to connect with him. It wasn’t strictly necessary to do so while communicating with another android, but this was a visual presentation of it for the cameras. They still wouldn’t have any record of what North was saying to Beckett, of course, but no one could argue she was hiding that they were speaking. Suddenly her whole body tensed and she closed her eyes.

“Jack Walker and the other humans would sexually abuse him by touching or grabbing him, and two humans attempted to assault him on more than one occasion,” she said, her voice tight. “Walker prevented the assaults, but only because he didn’t want to find new parts if the others broke any of Beckett’s components. Otherwise, Walker participated. Beckett never gave consent. It is uncertain he legally _ can _ give consent due to his systems running on YK500 components and software.”

Beckett ducked his head down.

Chris nodded, taking a deep breath. “Alright. If you would be alright submitting any memories for evidence or photos taken of any people of interest we would appreciate it, but it’s not required. Otherwise I think we’re done for right now.”

“When do you want the files by?” North asked.

“When Beckett is ready to provide it. I understand how hard this is, and no matter how helpful the evidence could be, his safety comes first,” Chris said firmly. “He would have to submit them in-house so no one can claim they were tampered with, but anything else is up to you and him.”

North moved her hand to cover Beckett’s again to get his attention. “Would you rather submit that evidence today or later?”

“... today.”

The evidence collection wouldn’t take long on its own, and they could at least remain in the interrogation room. It was unfortunate, but ultimately for the best. 

Hopefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He has a name now!
> 
> For updates on my writing between chapters or just to see my edits/art/etc., you can check out my tumblr at connorguerrin!


	4. More questions than answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything goes wrong at once, another figure comes into the picture, and then Beckett gets some soft time at his new home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm uploading this a day early to make up for not posting twice last week like I intended. I was going to upload on Thursday or Friday but then had big work events Wednesday and Thursday night so I took Friday night to recover. So I'm pushing the second update this week until Wednesday so this one can go up now :)
> 
> Warning for descriptions of domestic violence. When Hank and Gavin go in to talk with the woman reporting her ex, just skip to the ***. I'm going to put a note at the end about what happened if you don't want to read it.

Hank watched through the glass as Beckett wriggled in his seat. Fuck, he wanted to be in there. Beckett was, for all intents and purposes, just a kid. This had to be fucking terrifying.

“Alright,” Chris said, sliding a tablet across the table to Beckett, “you just need to touch the tablet and connect with it. It should lead you to where you need to go from there. Whenever you’re ready.”

“Um. Okay.”

Beckett's hand turned white as he laid it on the tablet. The room was silent for what felt like forever, and then suddenly his entire body tensed and his LED blared bright red on his temple.

"I don't want to watch them!”

North turned to him, frowning. "Wait, what?"

"Please-"

Beckett's voice cut out and he went eerily still. Connor instantly burst out of the room and around to the other door, and Hank rushed after him. Fuck, what the fuck was happening? Why would Beckett have to watch the memories? They'd had hundreds of androids copy the video files into that tablet and none of them had reacted like _ that. _ North was shaking his shoulder to no avail - whatever it was had locked Beckett in place.

Chris looked fucking terrified as they ran in. “Lieutenant-”

North’s eyes snapped to theirs. “Pull him out of it!”

“Wait,” Connor said quickly, “we don’t know what’s causing this, pulling him out might make it worse!”

“We have to do _ something-_”

“I can interface with him-”

“That won’t help!”

Hank stepped in, pulling Connor back by the shoulder. “Hey! Just give him some space, both of you!”

“Hank-”

“Chris, go tell the techs what happened in case we need ‘em, then go file what you’ve already got,” he ordered. “Connor, you go see if you can grab a stuffed animal or something from Camden’s office.”

“I should be here,” Connor argued. 

“I’ll make it an order if I have to.”

“... Alright.”

Connor walked stiffly out of the room, followed closely by Chris, who thankfully closed the door behind them. When Hank looked back at the remaining pair, North was staring up at him.

“What about me?” she asked, her tone very carefully neutral. Anyone who didn’t know her would believe that she was calm, but he sure as fuck didn’t.

“We stay here with him.”

She nodded silently and tapped Beckett’s shoulder again. As if a switch was flipped, Beckett jolted back, ripping his hand from the screen like it had burned him. He doubled over, chest pressed down to his thighs and his hands braced over his head, muttering through a layer of static. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry...”

“Hey kiddo, you’re okay now,” Hank said as softly as he could, bending down on one knee beside him. “It’s just you, me, and North here. Everything’s okay.”

“N-no, no, it’s-”

“I'm gonna touch your shoulder, okay?”

He tensed again as Hank reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, rubbing small circles with his thumb. North watched silently, hands folded in her lap. Slowly, Beckett began to relax again and quieted. 

“There we go. You’re safe now, I’ve got you.”

Beckett lifted his head up just enough to look at him. “Hank...”

“Yeah?”

“I’m s... sorry...”

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for, but apology accepted anyway.”

“I feel ba-bad,” Beckett mumbled, ducking his head back down. “Hurts...”

“Can you tell us what hurts?” North asked gently.

“Warm.”

He reached his other hand out to feel Beckett’s forehead. It wasn’t hot enough to hurt, but his skin was fucking _ burning. _“North, you know how to help?”

She shook her head. “No, I don’t want to mess with his programming the way it is. Connor will know what to do.”

Shit. He probably shouldn’t have sent Connor out like that, but Con was clearly starting to panic too. If he’d connected to Beckett before the kid came back to them, it just would have made things worse - Hank didn’t know shit about technology or androids, but he knew _ that _ much. There were just too many traumas and control issues around Cyberlife specifically for Connor to handle it. The kid was hyper-competent 95% of the time, but when he veered into that 5%, it was best to hold him back, especially when he didn’t realize his own limits.

“Alright, we’ll wait for him to get back. Beck, do you think you can sit up for me?”

“I don’t, don’t, don’t...”

“Hey hey, slow down. If you can’t sit up yet that’s fine.”

They just sat there for a few minutes, the only sound coming from Beck’s fans, until Connor came back with a stuffed dog in his arms.

“I found one,” he said simply, walking back over and setting the dog on the table.

“Can you cool his processors down somehow?” North asked, pushing her hair out of her face. “I didn’t want to make it worse by accident. You know his code better than anyone.”

“Right.”

North stood from her chair to stand by the door, and Connor took her place, placing a hand on the back of Beck’s neck. Their skin disappeared at the point of contact so they could connect. The room went silent again for a long few moments before Connor removed his hand.

“There, is that better?” Connor asked with a smile, settling his hand on Beckett’s back.

“Yeah.”

“Good. Are you feeling alright, besides the headache?”

“Um... I think... think so.”

“You might still feel a little sick for a few hours, but hopefully that will help. It looks like the system that controls your emotional expression crashed.”

Gently, Connor pushed Beck back into a sitting position. The kid was still hunched over but at least he wasn’t curled into a tiny nervous ball anymore. Beckett let out a heartbreaking whine and tears streamed down his face. Once he started, it was as if a dam had broken, and the poor kid sobbed like it was the first time he’d ever been allowed to.

Maybe it was.

“We’ve got you kiddo,” Hank said softly, moving his hand up and down Beck’s arm. “I bet that felt like shit, huh?”

Beckett nodded. “Yeah... Hu, hurts...”

Connor tucked the stuffed dog into Beckett's arms. “Here, I brought something for you.”

Beck wiped his eyes on his sleeve and looked down at the dog. It wasn’t his teddy bear, but it was a good enough substitute. He ran his hand over the fake fur, wheezing and hiccuping.

“I wan_nnn_t to go home,” Beckett mumbled, his voice stuttering and lagging part way through. “I-I-I want go to... To g... Go home.”

“To New Jericho?” Hank clarified.

“Yours.”

“Sounds like a plan. Con, can you get him home?”

Connor frowned. “You're not coming?”

“I have to talk to some people, make sure this is done right. Won't take long, but he should probably get home ASAP.”

“Right.”

“Call an auto-cab and delete the route and video after you pay. Just to be safe."

“Of course. Thank you.” Connor looked back to Beckett. “Do you think you can stand up yet?”

“Think so,” Beckett murmured back.

“Alright, let’s get your jacket back on.”

Connor took the coat from the floor where it landed and helped ease him into it, one arm at a time. Beck let out a sharp cry and closed in on himself again, cradling his wrist. Had he hurt himself? Was it something Jericho missed? Poor kid looked miserable. Hank laid a hand on top of Beckett’s head and started petting his hair slowly.

“You’re okay kiddo, just a little bump,” he said calmly. “Just hug that dog real tight - he’ll make you feel better.”

The kid looked skeptical, but he did as he was told and held the dog to his chest and squeezed. After a long few moments he looked up again, puppy eyes wide and his mouth hanging open.

Hank grinned. “It worked, huh?”

Beckett ducked his head down. He must not have realized he was making a face. Hank laughed quietly and pulled him into a quick hug.

“I’ll meet you two at home. Go watch a movie and get some rest.”

Beckett nodded and reluctantly let go of him. Connor held out his hands to take Beckett’s and help him stand up from the chair. North met them at the door, giving Connor a peck on the cheek and patting Beck on the shoulder.

Christ, what a fucking mess. Hank waited until Connor and Beckett were out of sight, around the corner, out of earshot, even for an android, before snapping.

“Fuck,” he mumbled, dragging his hands down his face. “Fuck, shit, what the _ fuck_...”

“The YK500 code automatically requires them to review memories before uploading since their program capacity is halted,” North said, walking back into the room. 

“What the fuck does that mean?”

She huffed and hopped up to sit on the table. “It means he can’t process things to the same degree the rest of us can. They’re restricted by certain rules, like who they listen to and complex understandings of situations. Any footage they upload has to be reviewed before submission because they may not understand what they need to show.”

“So he had to look through them himself.”

“Exactly. It was one of the first laws we tried to push through to protect the kids. Cyberlife must have given him the update, maybe to try and find a way around it.”

“Fuck,” he sighed. “No wonder he freaked out so badly.”

“I should have realized what was happening before I touched him, I just thought he was nervous,” North murmured.

“He’ll be fine, nothing we can do to change it now. You want a ride home? I just have to file all this shit then I’m out.”

“Sure. I have to sign off on everything anyway.”

“Right.”

North slid back off the table and crouched down to pick up Beckett’s discarded hat and scarf.

A knock on the door startled North and she snapped into defense. Hank held up a hand to stop her from launching at Reed as he stood in the doorway, arms folded over his chest like a douchebag.

“What do you want?” Hank asked, trying to be as diplomatic as possible.

Gavin scoffed. “You almost done in here? I’ve got a witness who doesn’t want to talk at my desk.”

“Yeah, we’re out.”

North marched out stiffly without waiting for Hank to follow. Gavin, to his credit, only looked a little offended, which was good, because North would have probably beaten the hell out of him if he’d said anything. 

“The fuck happened in here?”

“The kid Chris was interviewing had a breakdown,” he said vaguely.

“Shit, Connor’s twin?”

He frowned. “Yeah, why?”

“I saw ‘em when I was heading out to the front to meet this witness,” Gavin said defensively. “I didn’t do anything to them.”

“The kid’s just a bit on edge.”

“Yeah, I saw the report earlier. He looked fucking miserable. I said I’d drive them to your place but Conman said no.”

“Since when the fuck’re you nice?” he snorted.

Gavin scowled at him. “Fuck off.”

He gave Gavin a rough tap on the shoulder as he squeezed past him. “Thanks though, seriously.”

“Whatever.”

When Hank got to his desk North was sitting in Connor’s chair, one knee pulled up to her chest and the other stretched out to twist the chair back and forth.

“You good?” he asked. 

She shrugged. “Sure. Don’t want to talk about it.”

“Got it.”

He set his phone beside his keyboard in case she texted. As he worked on the report, he occasionally saved it and sent it to North for her approval. Once she sent it back, he moved on. She would talk when she was ready. 

His phone lit up. He glanced over at her, but she was just staring down at the beanie lying on the desk.

**>New Message (Hellspawn)**

**<Hellspawn> It reminded me of the Eden Club.**

**<Me> Do u want to go? Im almost done i can cmoe back and finish after dropping u off**

**<Hellspawn> No. Just finish it now.**

**<Me> K**

**<Hellspawn> What about you, Dad-Man?**

**<Me> Fine**

**<Me> It sucks but thats why alcohol exists**

**<Hellspawn> Not funny.**

**<Me> I kno sorry**

**<Me> Just hard dealing w kids**

**<Me> Im fine. Really**

**<Hellspawn> Right. Okay.**

**...**

**...**

**<Hellspawn> Connor says they’re home. Sumo was confused at there being two of him but figured it out and now he’s adopted Beckett out from under us.**

She sent a picture with her text. Beckett was sitting on the floor, arms wrapped around Sumo like he was hugging a massive teddy bear. Sumo was drooling and wagging his tail so fast, it was just a white blur against the carpet. A second picture came through of Beckett sitting on the floor with a weighted blanket on him and Sumo lounging in front of him, both looking up at Connor. The light of the TV reflected off of them, but Connor had his back to the screen, so Hank couldn’t see what was on it.

**<Me> Holy fuck??? Thats fucking adorable**

**<Me> What are they watching**

**<Hellspawn> Tangled. Connor says “I thought the themes and certain plot elements would be calming and helpful for processing what happened earlier.”**

**<Me> Nerd**

She snorted out loud and texted back a thumbs-up emoji. 

Twenty minutes later, Gavin rushed back out into the pen and right up to Hank’s desk. North glared at him as he approached but stayed quiet.

“We need to talk,” Gavin whispered. “That case with Conman’s twin, you put in shit about Cyberlife?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Woman came in to report her ex-husband who works there abusing androids. She said she walked in on him at work beating the hell out of an android.”

North sat up straight, bracing herself on the desk. “When did it happen?”

“Last night at around seven. I checked the log - she called it in but they didn’t go check until this morning. Cyberlife said they didn’t have any androids from the line she reported, only androids there by choice, so they left.”

Fuck, shit, damn, fuck. “I’m coming in. North-”

“I’m fine. Go.”

Hank followed Gavin back to the interrogation room. Before opening the door, Gavin put out an arm to stop him. 

“It’s Camden from upstairs, the new psych,” he whispered. “We’re trying to keep it quiet.”

Fucking hell. Isabelle Camden was an android psychologist partnering with the police to work with android victims, witnesses, and even perpetrators. She was one of the only humans even interested in the job, let alone as passionately as she was. Hank hadn’t met her yet in the week she’d been there, but Connor liked her and had described her office to him in immense detail.

“Got it.”

When they walked in, Camden sat across the table, looking like she’d been to hell and back_ . _Her left arm was in a sling, and there was a huge bandage plastered to her cheek surrounded by bruises. Had she not been wearing a turtleneck sweater, Hank had no doubt they would find even more wounds up and down her arms. She gave him a lopsided smile, distorted by her swollen lips.

“I moved the extra chair around,” she said. Her voice was rough like someone had scrubbed her throat with steel wool. “Thought I would make it easier.”

“Thank you,” he said as calmly as he could manage. He held out his hand, making sure to offer the match to her uninjured arm. “Lieutenant Hank Anderson.”

She shook his hand. “Isabelle Camden. I’m happy to finally meet you, even if I wish it was... a better situation. Connor talks about you all the time.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet he does,” he grumbled.

“All good things, I promise,” she said with another small smile.

The two men sat down. Camden instantly relaxed once they weren’t towering over her anymore.

“Detective Reed told me some of what you two talked about,” he explained. “Can you tell me about what happened last night?”

She fidgeted and nodded. “My ex-husband, John, works for Cyberlife. Our daughter was visiting him at work while I was out on a crisis call, and I went to pick her up at like... seven? She came running up sobbing, said she saw an android was lying on the floor covered in blue blood, and... God...”

She covered her face with her hands and her shoulders began to shake. Gavin slid a box of tissues to her and she took one to dry her eyes with a mouthed _ thanks. _

“I tried asking more, but she was just begging me to call for help because she was afraid of her dad. Then security came over and said we had to leave, I guess John ordered us out. I called it in when we were somewhere safe, but I don’t know what happened after that...”

“Is he the one who injured you?”

She flinched. “John came over later after Cece was in bed and did all of... this. He figured I was the one who reported him, so...”

The world tilted a bit around him. _ Fuck, _ this was fucked up _ . _“Did he hurt your daughter?”

“No, no, never. He left when he heard my neighbor calling the police. Once he was gone, she came over and helped me over to the hospital.”

***

“Sorry, going back, do you know who the android was?” Gavin asked.

“No, John and I divorced about two years ago and he doesn’t tell me anything, so I don’t know who he works with,” she continued, scrunching up the tissue in her fist. “Cecilia knew him though, she mentioned him a few times and showed me some selfies she took with him.”

“What was the android’s name?” 

“Um... I think Cecilia said his name was Connor?”

His heart sank into his stomach. Fuck, fuck, fuck. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and quickly scrolled to his photo reel, fucking where was it... There. He opened up the picture of Beckett on the floor with Sumo and zoomed in closer on his face.

“Is that him?” he asked, zooming in on their faces.

“Yeah, he had a mark on his forehead just like that...” He watched as the realization hit her and her eyes flashed back up at him. “Oh my god, you found him? Is he okay?!”

He held up a hand to stop her. “He’s fine. He was repaired at New Jericho, and he’s safe now.”

“Oh, thank god... I shouldn’t have left him there like that, I should have gone back in for him!”

Gavin reached out to cover her hand with his, avoiding all of the bruising on her knuckles. She ducked her head down.

“You did nothing wrong,” Gavin said firmly. “You reported it as soon as you could, and you had your kid with you. No one could have done more.”

Camden nodded and sniffled. “I just... don’t know what to do now. I can’t go back home, John knows where we live, but I barely have anything, our neighbor could only grab some clothes and stuff for Cecilia...”

“I’ll call up one of the crisis centers - they can help us find a shelter for you two to stay in.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Hank stood and released her hand to pick up the pad of paper Gavin was taking notes in. “I’ll go file your report. You’re in good hands now.”

She gave him a small smile. “Thank you, lieutenant.”

“Of course.”

As he exited the room, Gavin asked, “Do you want your daughter in here?”

“Um. No, it’s alright. She’s only eleven, she doesn’t need to know all of the details...”

_ Fuck. _

Hank looked over to his desk, but North was no longer in Connor’s seat. It wasn’t until he was standing right next to his terminal that he could see her sitting on the floor beside a little girl. The kid couldn’t be more than eleven or twelve years old, wearing a massive grey hoodie and fuzzy pink pajama pants. North had her skin pulled back from her hand, showing it off to the girl.

“So, when I touch another android like this, I can talk to them like we’re texting, send them pictures, or even show them memories.”

“Woah, really?!”

“Really.”

North glanced up at him as he sat down before turning back to the kid. Well, if she didn’t need help, he’d back off.

“That’s so cool! My mom works with androids but I’ve never seen them do that!”

“Are you here with your mom?”

“Mhm. She’s talking to the police about my dad because he hurt her and someone else. She had to go to the hospital.”

North tensed and Hank stopped typing. Looking at the kid again, it was easy to see the resemblance between her and Camden. 

“Oh. Is your mom okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Are _ you _ okay?” North asked softly.

The girl shrugged stiffly. “It’s happened before.”

North didn’t have an LED, but Hank could practically see the gears in her head turning. “I bet that was pretty scary.”

“... Yeah.”

She held out her hand with her palm up, and the kid immediately placed her hand face-down on top. 

“You’re very brave,” North murmured.

“Oh, um. Thank you.”

**>New Message (Dickhead (Reed))**

**<Dickhead (Reed)> Literally none of the shelters i’ve called have beds, do we have any that arent on the list**

**<Me> Even the non dv ones?**

**<Dickhead (Reed)> Yea, its winter so theyre all full**

“Shi- uh, crap,” he swore.

North and the kid both looked up at him. Shit, he couldn’t say anything about it in front of the kid. She was dealing with enough shit without worrying about where they were going to sleep.

“What’s up?” North asked slowly.

“Just, minor issue, need to look something up.”

**>New Message (Hellspawn)**

**<Hellspawn> What is it?**

**<Me> Cant find a shelter that can take the kid and her mom**

North went silent for a few moments, her hand letting out a teal-ish glow from a couple of cracks. The kid went back to staring at her, only glancing up at Hank every few seconds as if to check that he was still there. Finally, North pulled her hand back, letting her skin climb back down.

“Tell them we have space,” she said firmly.

“Seriously?”

She nodded. “I just asked Markus and Simon. We have an opening.”

**>Message Sent (Dickhead (Reed))**

**<Me> Bring her out we have a place**

**<Dickhead (Reed)> Ok????**

**<Me> Her kid is on the floor at cons desk if she asks**

A minute later Gavin stepped into the pen with Camden right behind him. Hank spun his chair around to look at the girls on the floor, tapping the divider to get their attention.

“Cecilia, right?” he prompted. “Your mom is back.”

Cecilia scrambled up from the floor and held her hands out to North. North took them and Cecilia “pulled” her up, though North was probably still doing most of the lifting. She kept hold of North’s hand and dragged her across the room, only dropping her to very carefully hug her mom. North looked back at Hank, visibly flustered. 

**>New Message (Hellspawn)**

**<Hellspawn> Help.**

He snorted and pushed his chair back to stand. North and Connor were so painfully alike sometimes. Neither of them had any social skills what-so-ever. Cecilia let go of her mom as Hank approached them, suddenly self-conscious around all of the adults.

“Were you good for Lieutenant Anderson?” Camden asked her daughter.

“Yes!”

She looked up at him. “Is that right?”

“Yes ma’am,” he answered very seriously. “Though North here was really the one hanging out with her.”

“Oh! Right!” Cecilia tugged on Camden’s hand to make her face North. “This is North! She showed me how androids can talk without us hearing them!”

Camden smiled and nodded to North. “It’s nice to meet you. I hope Cece wasn’t too much of a handful.”

“Not at all, it was fine,” North mumbled awkwardly. Oh, she was going to kill him the moment they left the precinct, but it was so worth it. It was like having teenagers to embarrass forever.

“So,” Gavin cut in, “you said you found a shelter?”

North nodded, looking down at Cecilia. “New Jericho has a room available. You’d be around androids, but we have everything humans need too. And someone can go with you to help file any court papers.”

“Are you sure we wouldn’t make anyone uncomfortable?” Camden asked quietly. 

“Markus wouldn’t have said yes if we thought there was any danger,” she said. “And I wouldn’t have asked him. We’re supposed to be working with humans, and we want to help.”

Camden smiled and let out a choked laugh. "I don't know what to say... Thank you, North. So much. This means so much to us."

Gavin felt around his pockets before pulling out his keys. "I'll drive you guys over. Make sure no one messes with you on the way."

"Thank you, Gavin.”

"No problem. Can you wait out by the front lobby? I just have to grab my stuff."

"Of course."

Cecilia held her mother's hand on one side and North's on the other as they walked away from the pen. Well, at least North wouldn’t need a ride home anymore. Gavin shoved another smaller pad of paper at Hank, already moving towards his own desk.

"Anything new?" Hank asked, flipping through the pages.

"Not much. A couple aliases, shit like that." Gavin shrugged his jacket on. "You taking this case then?"

"Probably can't, I'm pretty sure one of the victims is moving into my house to pet my dog," he answered dryly.

"Right. How's he doing?"

"Why do _ you _ care?"

"Just asking, fucking Christ."

"He's fine. They're at home watching a movie nearly as old as you."

Gavin snorted. "Good. I'll be back after I drop them off. Have fun doing paperwork."

"Fuck you."

"Not my type, but thanks."

“We both know _ that’s _ a lie.”

“Asshole.”

* * *

  
The cab pulled up in front of Hank’s home and rolled to a stop. Connor pulled back his skin to connect with the cab’s systems, deleting the surveillance footage and changing the route and destination. The new destination cost him approximately 15% more in fare, so Connor didn’t feel as guilty about tampering with the device. He leaned over to unbuckle Beckett’s seatbelt for him. Beckett was scanning the neighborhood for danger. 

“We’re safe, no one but Hank and North know we’re here,” Connor tried to reassure him.

“There’s two, two of us,” Beckett mumbled. There was still some static in his voice. “No one will... see?”

“The neighbors?” Beckett nodded. “No, they know me and know that I’m an android. It just looks like I have a sibling over.”

Beckett paused and Connor panicked. He shouldn’t have said the sibling part. 

“Okay.”

Connor gave him a small smile. “Let’s get inside. Sumo will be excited to meet you.”

Beckett lit up and scrambled to sit up more and open the door. “I like dogs.”

The trip up the walkway was slow with Beckett’s lingering fatigue and the new damage to the components in his head, but he was already doing better than before they left the precinct. Before opening the door, Connor turned back to him.

“He will likely be very excited to see us since he’s been home by himself, but I’ll keep him from jumping up. Is that okay?”

“Yes!”

He unlocked the door and opened it slowly. Sumo was waiting for them just inside the door as they entered, pacing back and forth and barking. Beckett jumped back at the sudden loud noise, but it didn’t stop Sumo from bumping against both of their legs. After a moment Sumo paused and leaned forward to sniff at both of them and tilted his head back and forth.

“He thinks I’m you,” Beckett said quietly, disappointment clear in his voice. 

Connor shook his head as he closed the door behind them. “He just needs a second to figure out your scent. It’s how he meets people he doesn’t know.”

“Nuh, no,” he stuttered, his body trembling and tears already spilling down his face. “He already knows me and when he remembers me he’ll hate me because I hurt Hank and I shouldn’t be here!”

“No, Beckett, he won’t hate you-”

“Yes he will!”

Beckett covered his face with his hands as he stuttered through a sob. Connor could see his stress climbing back into dangerous levels and realized he... didn’t know how to help. He was about to send a message to North when Beckett suddenly froze.

Sumo bumped his head against Beckett’s legs again, whining to get his attention. Beckett looked down at him and Sumo let out a soft bark, as if he could tell his initial volume had startled the android. 

Connor closed the interface as he watched Beckett’s stress tick down. “See? He doesn’t hate you.”

“Oh...”

Beckett tugged at his sleeves, humming when they didn’t budge. Connor stepped forward to help him take his jacket off gently and the other android gingerly lowered himself to the floor with his legs crossed. Sumo flopped down in front of him, one big paw on his knee.

“What do you think?” Connor asked softly.

Beckett hugged Sumo and buried his face in the dog’s neck. “I like dogs. And Sumo.”

“Good.” He crouched down to their level and scratched the top of Sumo’s head. “Hank suggested we watch something while you rest. What do you think?”

“I’ve never done that before,” Beckett answered, his voice muffled in the mass of dog fur.

“Let’s go pick something out then.”

Beckett didn’t move at first, but slowly let go of Sumo. “I can’t stand up. Still don’t feel good.”

“Okay, do you think you can crawl over to the couch?”

“Can I stay on the floor with Sumo?”

“Yes, you can.”

Slowly, they inched across the room to the couch. Beckett sat back against the cushions and Sumo followed, huffing and flopping down in front of Beckett. Connor picked up his other weighted blanket from the back of the couch and carefully draped it over Beckett’s shoulders.

“You said you’re not feeling well?” he prompted. Beckett nodded, mouth pressed shut in a thin line. “Can you tell me how?”

“Just hurts,” he said, his voice strained.

Connor pressed a hand to the other android’s forehead for a quick connection. There were still some errors to clear up, but significantly fewer than before, and his power was low; his system couldn’t handle the strain and overcompensated in response. He attempted to override some of Beckett’s processes to slow them down and lessen the stress on his systems. He waited until the percentage moved down to less than a 2% chance before disconnecting.

“That helped,” Beckett mumbled.

“Good. Do you want to help me pick out what to watch?”

“Okay.”

There was a small stack of old DVDs beside the television, mostly children’s movies that Connor rewatched over and over when he was alone. Before his position at DPD was finalized, he had spent his time at the house going through every movie and TV show Hank owned. The movies targeted at kids were, honestly, Connor’s favorites - they often described and explained emotions in a way much easier for him to understand. 

Four months after the revolution, Connor had his first panic attack during a meeting with Cyberlife executives over his legal status as a prototype. The company had demanded he be returned to them, and he nearly self-destructed in the sterile white conference room. He didn’t move from Hank’s couch for nearly four solid days afterwards, weighed down by unprocessed trauma and fear, until Hank pulled out an unmarked plastic bin full of old movies and a list of recommendations from Simon. Frozen, Inside Out, Tangled, Kiki’s Delivery Service. Connor held it together until half-way through the third movie before bursting into tears. After that, Hank talked him into therapy (with a compromise that he would try it as well), and for the first time, Connor felt _ whole. _

Looking at the shelf, Connor knew exactly which movie to pick.

“How about this one? It’s called Tangled.” Beckett stared at him blankly. “It’s a retelling of the Rapunzel story. Do you know that one?”

“I have a record on it... The story, not the movie. Can we watch that one?”

“Yes.”

A message came in as Connor slipped in the DVD. 

**>Incoming Call (North)**

**>Accept/Deny?**

**>Accept**

_ ‘You guys home yet?’ _

_ ‘Yes,’ _ Connor answered. He took two quick snapshots of Beckett and Sumo from his memory and sent them to her. _ ‘It took Sumo a moment to figure him out but they’re very happy.’ _

_ ‘Awww. Dad-man says it’s cute too. What are you watching?’ _

_ ‘Tangled. I thought the themes and certain plot elements would be calming and helpful for processing what happened earlier.’ _

He could almost see her smiling. _ ‘Dork. We’re just finishing up the paperwork shit now. I already signed off on it so we don’t have to wait nine years for them to send it over to Markus.’ _

_ ‘Thank you. Really.’ _

_ ‘Of course.’ _ She went quiet for a long moment. _ ‘I understand how he feels.'_

_ ‘Will you be alright?’ _

_ ‘Yeah, yeah I’m fine. I’ve been texting Josh and he’s staying with me tonight.’ _

_ ‘Good. I love you.’ _

_ ‘You too.’ _

**>Call Ended**

Connor looked down at Beckett. Sumo had moved to sit right in front of him, and Beckett was hugging him while he watched the movie. Beckett was absolutely engrossed in the story - he even giggled at a couple of jokes. At the end when Flynn sacrificed himself for Rapunzel, Beckett gasped loudly, hugging Sumo even tighter.

When the credits rolled, Beckett kept staring at the screen. “Is there more?”

Connor smiled. “That’s the end. Did you like it?”

“Yes.” He paused, looking over his shoulder back at Connor. “Mother Gothel reminds me of Amanda.”

Connor’s thirium pump skipped and he winced. Did Beckett have Amanda as well? Was she still with him? Was she watching Connor, still, judging him?

“Oh,” was all he could say.

“She, um... She went away when they switched my processors, so I didn’t have her for very long. But I have your memories of her. I don’t like her.”

“I don’t either,” Connor admitted.

“I’m sorry I helped her.”

“She hurt you too.”

“... Yeah.” Beckett turned back to Sumo. “Can we watch another movie?”

“Yeah, yeah of course, do you have a preference?”

He shook his head. “You can pick one. I don’t know any.”

Connor picked Inside Out next. It was a good representation of emotions and how to identify them, especially for its time. Connor had watched it on his own more times than he cared to admit. As he turned back to the couch, Beckett held his hands up towards him with what Hank would call “puppy eyes.”

“Please?”

Well, he couldn’t say no to that. He gently took Beckett’s hands and helped him stand up. The other android immediately flopped back down onto the couch, like the action had sapped any remaining energy. When Connor sat down next to him, Beckett cuddled right up to him, head on Connor’s shoulder and his feet tucked up on the couch.

Connor tried halting the command causing tears to build up in his eyes but they fell anyway. Beckett snuggled in and held Connor’s hand.

That was how Hank found them an hour later, mostly asleep during the film, sharing the weighted blanket between them.

“You two good?” he asked, pushing the door shut behind him.

“Yes, we’re watching Inside Out now,” Connor answered as he paused the movie. “We watched Tangled earlier.”

“Wow, really laying in deep with the movies. You like them, Beckett?”

Beckett popped his head up, blinking sleepily. “Yeah. Tangled was really good, even though Mother Gothel is mean.”

“Good.” Hank crossed the room to stand behind the couch. “You feeling any better now?”

“Mhmm. My head still hurts but I’m okay and Sumo likes me.”

At his name, Sumo huffed and wagged his tail around. Hank smiled. “‘Course he likes you. You’re a good kid.”

Beckett smiled as well and hid his face by nuzzling into Connor’s shoulder. Connor squeezed his hand affectionately.

“You look tired,” Hank pointed out. “Maybe it’s time for bed?”

“I want to finish the movie.”

Connor hoped Hank could hear the nervous notes in Beckett’s tone. Connor was often the same way - leaving a task unfinished was uncomfortable.

Thankfully, Hank picked up on the android’s anxiety and shrugged. “Sure. Just try and get some sleep?”

“I will.”

“I’ll make sure he does,” Connor added.

“Good.”

He ruffled Beckett’s hair one more time before heading to the kitchen and dropping his coat and a bag on the table. 

**>Incoming Text Message (Hank)**

**<Hank> Found walkers real name. Camden from upstairs came t report her husband for dv and assault on an android and reed connected the dots**

**<Connor> Where are they now?**

**<Hank> Nj. North offered her and her kid a spot and is going w her to file w the court tomorrow**

**<Hank> Will beckett want to see them? IC said her kid knew him well enough to find out his name**

**<Connor> Maybe later. It might be best to give both parties some time to adjust during the investigation.**

**<Hank> K. Check in with north shes rly upset abt this whole thing**

**<Connor> Already did. She’s with Josh for the night, she’ll be fine.**

**<Hank> K**

**<Hank> You have to sleep too tough guy**

**<Connor> I will. :)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who skipped the small section with Isabelle Camden: Isabelle works with the DPD, specifically as an android psychologist working with any android victims or perpetrators that come through and doing evals, etc. She reveals that her ex-husband is Jack Walker, whose name is actually John Camden, and they have a daughter together, Cecilia. John was supposed to be watching Cecilia while Isabelle was working, but Cecilia stumbled in on him injuring Beckett, and she runs to tell her mom. Isabelle called the cops, but later that night John comes over and physically assaults her for reporting him.
> 
> My experience with the sheltering/court papers related to DV come from doing indirect service with a crisis center, though my city is MUCH smaller than Detroit, so I'm really just speculating to a certain extent. I can see certain aspects being easier, but others much, much harder, especially with the state of the economy in DBH. 
> 
> Here is what Isabelle looks like normally, painting done by me:  

> 
> ... anyway, Beckett finally got a happy moment! I promise this story isn't 100% tormenting him, though he is going to have a rough time for a bit longer. :(


	5. The Vest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew meets to create a safety plan for Beckett and sort out his paperwork, but it is a Terrible No-Good Very Bad Day, and everyone is trying their best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking of changing my upload day to Sundays, it's much easier to find time to edit before it gets too late at night for me :') This is probably my favorite chapter so far - I know I promised things would get easier for Beckett, and they are, it's just going to take a little while.

It took a few days to get Beckett to leave the house again. Hank stayed home with him and did whatever work needed doing from his laptop while Connor went into the station. He thought Jeffrey would be pissed that he wasn’t showing up himself, but Connor or Reed must have explained the situation. In response to Hank’s message about needing some slack with his schedule for a few days, Jeffrey just sent back a pre-signed request for leave with just the number of days needed left blank.

When Hank stumbled out of his room on Thursday morning, the two androids were still sleeping on the couch together. Connor was twisted at a weird angle on his side and Beckett was snuggled up to him like a puppy with Connor’s weighted blanket wrapped around him. The TV was still on, stuck on the DVD menu for _ How to Train Your Dragon. _

He didn’t want to wake them up, but they needed to take Beckett to Jericho so Josh could check how his repairs were holding up. They also had to start thinking about Beck’s future - where would he live, could he get therapy, how involved would he be in John Camden’s case? Those questions didn’t have to be answered _ immediately_, sure, but not knowing was dragging up old anxieties Hank didn’t know he still _ had. _

“You boys awake?” he called over. 

Connor stirred first. “Yes.”

“Beckett?”

“I’m here,” Beckett mumbled, his voice muffled in Connor’s shirt.

“Good. Just give me a minute to wake up and we can head out when you’re ready.”

“We’ll get dressed,” Connor said.

“Go for it.”

The two androids untangled themselves and shuffled towards Connor’s room, shutting the door behind them. Beckett hadn’t actually changed his clothes since arriving despite Hank telling him repeatedly he was allowed to, so he’d stopped pushing. It wasn’t like androids had any sweat or whatever like humans did, but he was getting coated in Sumo hair, so he really did need to put on new stuff at some point.

Twenty minutes later, they still hadn’t emerged, which for Connor usually meant _ I got stuck in an anxiety loop and needed to calm down_, but with Beckett added into the mix...

“What’s going on in there?” he called out.

“We would appreciate assistance!”

Yeah, he figured that out. “I’m comin’!”

When he opened the door, Connor was standing frozen in the middle of the room. Beckett was a few feet away, sitting on the floor with his head ducked down. Most of Connor’s wardrobe was laid across the bed by category - shirts, pants, sweaters.

“What happened?” he sighed.

“We were picking out clothes for Beckett. I didn’t...” Connor trailed off.

“Didn’t what? Beckett, what’s up?”

“I don’t know what I like, I’ve never liked things before,” Beckett admitted in a small voice. “North helped a little but I don’t know...”

Hank crossed the room to him, patting Connor on the shoulder as he passed. It wasn’t a bad idea; Connor just couldn’t help someone with the same issues he still dealt with all the time. Beckett was still new to all this - they couldn’t possibly know every single one of his triggers yet. “You’re fine, we’re not on a time crunch. Can you stand up with me?”

“Um... I think so...”

Slowly Beckett pushed himself up, only needing Hank to steady him once. That was encouraging.

“Alright, we’re gonna start with how they feel. If you don’t like how it feels, we’ll put it away, and if you do, we’ll set it back on the bed.”

“How do I know if I like it?”

“Let’s see. This one,” he picked up a random t-shirt, “just touch it.”

Beckett reluctantly reached out to run his hand across the fabric, and flinched back almost immediately. It was a stiff fabric with a scratchy peeling logo on it, so his reaction wasn’t really a surprise. 

“I don’t like that one,” Beckett mumbled.

“Okay, good. That narrows it down a little. Try this one.”

They went through the rest of the clothes that way, piece by piece. Beckett liked loose, very soft shirts, and he _ loved _ leggings. He wanted to cover as much of his body as he could to hide the places without skin. In the end, he picked out a pair of pink leggings Connor rarely wore and a ridiculously soft t-shirt with a picture of a dog on it, and Connor helped him into a pair of thick boots.

“Lookin’ good, kiddo,” he said brightly as Beckett examined his outfit. 

Beckett actually smiled. “Thank you. I like it.”

“When we get you your own clothing you can pick out a lot of outfits like this,” Connor said quietly.

“I... get my own?”

“Of course. You should have things that are just yours, that you can give people if you want but you don’t have to.” Connor paused, wringing his hands. “It helps me feel real.”

Beckett tensed. Hank could almost see the rain clouds over the androids’ heads. Beckett’s hands moved down to the bottom of the shirt like he was about to pull it off, but Hank stopped him.

“If you’re up to it, we’ll do some shopping online after your check-up at Jericho,” he offered gently. “Then you’ll both have your own stuff.”

“Okay,” they both replied at once. _ Jesus. _

“Good. Problem solved. How about you two get your jackets on and take Sumo out while I get ready?”

“Okay.”

They managed to take Sumo into the front yard without issue, at least. He glanced out the windows every so often while he got dressed just to check on them. They were still outside with the dog when Hank opened the door, shrugging his coat on.

“Ready?”

Beckett was wringing his hands, just as Connor had, averting his eyes anywhere but them. “Can Sumo come with us?”

“Would it make you feel better if he did?”

“... Yes.”

“Then sure.”

The kid brightened up. As if he could tell what was going on, Sumo huffed quietly and bumped into Beckett’s hip. Beckett crouched down to pet him, only to be pushed onto his ass so Sumo could sit on his lap. He did it to Connor sometimes during anxiety attacks or sensory overload episodes, the only part of his training he still remembered after...

... Five years. Five years since Sumo last made softer sounds around a much shorter kid who was sensitive to the loud barking. Five years since Hank bought the red dog vest that still sat in the trunk because he was too fucked up to get rid of it even though he wanted to die every time he saw it. Five years since Sumo started using the grounding techniques on Hank too because he couldn’t even get dressed in the morning without having a fucking breakdown.

Since...

_ Shit_, it was too early for this.

“Let’s go,” he mumbled, his voice rough. He tried not to look at either android as he walked to the car.

He watched in the rearview mirror as Connor helped Beckett into the back seat and buckled him in. Beckett laughed when Sumo hopped over him to settle on the empty seat, and Hank had to look away, eyes straight forward on the garage door. He should have been helping, not letting his own fucking issues get in the way.

“I already called Fowler and told him we would not be coming into the station again today,” Connor said as he slid into the passenger seat. “He already assumed we would need more time than we requested.”

Hank hadn’t even thought to fucking call in. God damnit. “Thanks.”

“He already knew from the message you sent last night. I was just reminding him.”

“Ah.”

He could practically feel Connor frowning at him. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah. I’m good.”

“... Alright.”

He looked up at the rearview mirror again, but there was no car seat, no booster, no model cars or pull-down shade on the window with pictures of flowers to keep the sun out. Just Beckett petting Sumo and giving Hank a small smile.

Hank was going to make things _ right _ for this kid and give him as normal a life as he possibly could. 

He wasn’t going to fuck this up. He couldn’t.

* * *

Beckett watched out the window as they drove through Detroit. He had never truly been in the city outside of Connor’s memories. It was a bit overwhelming, but he liked it. Especially when he could pet Sumo the whole time. Whenever his stress spiked Sumo would huff and nuzzle him until Beckett paid attention to him again. It was... good. 

The car was quiet during the entire drive to New Jericho. It made Beckett a little nervous. Hank was upset about something. Beckett didn’t know what he was upset about, but... He was pretty sure it was his fault, which gave him a really bad feeling in his chest. He didn’t want to make Hank upset.

They pulled into the complex around New Jericho and he tried to force himself to relax. Walker wouldn’t be there - he wouldn’t be allowed in. Even if they didn’t know his real name still, they knew what he looked like from Beckett’s memories.

Hank pulled into a parking space and turned the car off. “Con, can you grab the leash from the trunk? And, uh... There’s a vest there too. Dunno if it’ll still fit him, but...”

Connor stopped and looked at Hank for a moment before getting out of the car. “Of course.”

Vest? What kind of vest was it? Sumo had lots of fur, he wouldn’t get cold. His leash clipped right onto his collar.

Hank got out of the car and walked around to open Beckett’s door. He was smiling again, which was good, because Beckett didn’t want him to be sad.

“Can you unbuckle your seatbelt kiddo?”

Beckett twisted around to click the button, then turned back for approval. “I did it.”

His smile grew, which made Beckett’s chest feel warm. “You sure did. You need help getting out?”

“Um, I think I’m okay.”

“Alright, go for it.”

Beckett moved slowly, swinging one leg towards the door and then the other. Hank took a step back so Beckett could plant his feet on the ground outside the car. As soon as he put his weight on his feet, he felt the ground slip out from under him, and his systems scrambled to hold onto something, anything to keep him from falling. His backside hit the edge of the seat and Hank caught him by grabbing his arms.

“Woah, there we go - I’ve got you!”

Beckett’s visual HUD went blurry as Hank helped him back onto the seat. It hurt where he had landed and he could already feel his processors lagging from the strain of managing his stress level. He couldn’t even stand up without messing it up and making people help him, something everyone else could do effortlessly.

“You’re fine, shit happens,” Hank said quietly. “Let’s try again, huh?”

“I wanna go home...”

“I know. We won’t be here too long. Josh just needs to get a look at you to make sure you’re okay, and there’s some things we need to talk about like where you’re gonna stay.”

He bit his lip to try and keep it from shaking as he tugged at the cuffs of his jacket. If he opened his mouth to speak again, his voice box would let out the crying sounds quickly building up in his verbal queue, so he shoved them down as far as he could.

He finally built up the courage to ask, “I can’t stay with you?”

“‘Course you can,” Hank said firmly. “We just need to get everything sorted out so we can keep you safe. Do you want to stay with me and Connor?”

“Yes please!”

“Good. Now, let’s try this again.”

“Okay.”

He held Hank’s hands this time as he stood up, so when his boots started to slip Hank kept him standing and helped him move somewhere less icy.

“Thank you,” Beckett murmured. Hank patted his shoulder with another smile.

“No problem kiddo. Con, you find everything?”

“Yes,” Connor called from the other side of the car. Beckett hadn’t even noticed him taking Sumo or attaching the leash. “The vest does fit, though he might be more comfortable with a newer one in the future.”

“Good. Wasn’t sure with how fuckin’ big he is.”

When they rounded the car, Sumo trotted back up to Beckett and nipped at his hand. He had a bright red vest on that said _ Working dog, do not pet! _

“What’s that for?”

Connor reached out to pet Sumo while he explained. “To make sure other people don’t distract him and he can keep his attention on you. Then, if you need him, he’ll be able to help.”

“He’s got the training, just hasn’t used it in a while,” Hank added quietly.

Oh. 

That was why he had been upset when they left the house, Beckett realized. Asking to bring Sumo with them had reminded him of Cole. 

There was another bad feeling in Beckett’s chest, like something was stuck there. He pulled his hands back to stand on his own and stared down at the ground. Of course Beckett hadn’t thought of that. He was just too focused on himself. He just latched onto the first people who were nice to him, even though he didn’t deserve it, and he already hurt them. Again. He just kept making things worse, and he didn’t know how to fix it.

They were all silent again as they walked into the biggest building and Connor led them up to some offices. One of them had a big table in the middle with a bunch of chairs, with Josh and Markus already sitting next to each other at one end.

Beckett sat quietly as Josh checked his systems, answering _ yes _ or _ no _ when Josh asked questions. Yes, his head felt better. Yes, his systems replayed an upsetting memory while in stasis. No, he hadn’t slept again after the nightmare woke him up. Yes, he was still anxious. No, he didn’t want to talk about what was making him anxious.

Markus smiled at him as Josh returned to his seat. “Did Hank and Connor tell you what else we need to talk about?”

“Some of it,” Beckett said. He tried to focus on petting Sumo, who sat on his feet under the table. “Like where I’m staying.”

“Exactly. Do you have any preference?”

He had to cancel several prompts for his eyes to start producing tears. “Um... I can stay here...”

He saw Hank staring at him in his peripheral. “In the car you said you wanted to stay with us.”

“I did, I do, but I don’t know if I should.”

“Can you tell us why?” Connor asked, so gentle it made his chest hurt again.

Everyone was watching him. He didn’t want to say it. It would just make everyone upset again. It wasn’t their fault, it was his, but they would blame themselves anyway.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I don’t, I don’t...”

He couldn’t push back the prompt again. Warm tears spilled down his face and he covered his eyes with his arm. The fluid was sticky and unpleasant, and the program was already making him feel hot and tired again, like it had in the car. His ventilation hiccuped to bring in more air and cool his biocomponents but it didn’t help. He didn’t want to cry. It was his fault, he should be the only one dealing with his mistake, he shouldn’t have let them get so close-

“Hey, Beck?” He didn’t dare look up at Hank. “Can we go talk somewhere for a minute? Just us two.”

He bobbed his head and pushed his chair back from the table. Maybe it would be better to get it over with sooner rather than later. Sumo stood with him, holding up his leash in his mouth when Beckett didn’t pick it up. Connor took it instead.

“My office next door is sound-proof,” Markus offered. 

“Thanks.”

Beckett followed Hank out of the room and into another one nearby, closing the door behind them. Markus’ office was larger than the others with vibrant and colorful artwork lining the walls. The space not taken up by art was filled with photos and certificates and awards. It was a little overwhelming and Beckett had to squint his eyes so they would stop trying to process the colors through the tears. Hank stopped and turned back to him.

“Can you tell me what’s going on now?”

“I don’t kn-know. I was try, trying not to...” He paused and tried to override the next sob. It didn’t work. “Trying not to upset you but I did anyway and I don’t know what to do.”

“You didn’t upset me, what’s this about?”

He tried wiping his eyes again but new tears just took their place. “The vest.”

Hank frowned and crossed his arms. “What about the vest?”

“You got it for when Sumo was out with Cole.”

“... Yeah. I did.”

“I didn’t mean to make you think about him,” Beckett said quietly. “I don’t have to stay with you. It’s okay.”

“Beck...”

Beckett closed his eyes again as tight as he could; he didn’t want to look when Hank left. His jacket was rough and scraped against his wrists and arms whenever he moved and everything was starting to feel fuzzy and bad. He tried shutting off the crying protocol but it was stuck. He didn’t _ want _ sympathy from Hank. He just wanted this to be over so he could stop bothering everyone.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m already hurting you again, I should leave.”

“You’re not- The fuck are you talking about? Again?”

**>Stress Levels: 86% and rising**

**>Warning: Stress levels high**

**>Error**

**>Error**

**>Error**

**>Error**

Something in Beckett snapped and he balled his hands into fists at his sides. “I tried to _shoot you!_ And I nearly got everyone else killed! And I hurt people when Walker asked me to! I can’t, can’t do anything else, and I just need to stay away from everyone!”

His respiratory systems stuttered and lagged as his pump pounded in his chest. The tears dried on his face, and another error popped up saying the protocol controlling them had crashed, leaving him feeling empty. Hank just stared at him for a long moment, but Beckett couldn’t read his expression. 

“Can I hug you?”

Beckett froze. “... What?”

“Can I hug you,” Hank repeated slowly.

“But, but I-” He paused to clear his verbal queue and reorder his words. “Why?”

“Because I want to.”

“Um... If, if you really want to...”

Hank stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Beckett tightly. It felt good. Hank was warm but not hot, and his shirt wasn’t as soft as the one from the day before but it was still soft. 

“Thinking about Cole hurts, and it always will,” Hank said quietly, “but that’s not your fault. Neither is anything Cyberlife or that jackass made you do.”

“But if I hadn’t asked to bring Sumo-”

“-Then you would’ve been even more stressed out and you might’ve gotten hurt. I’d rather have you safe in one piece.”

His system hiccuped again. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for, but I forgive you anyway. Okay?”

“Okay...”

One hand started to move up and down his back in between his shoulder blades, and the ache in his chest eased just a little. He felt tears leak from his optical units again onto Hank’s shirt, and Hank hugged him just a little bit tighter. Crying still felt bad but it wasn’t so bad if he got to have this when he did it.

“Connor and I both want you to live with us. We won’t stop you if you really want to stay here instead, but the house is always open to you.”

“I want to stay with you,” Beckett mumbled. “And Connor and Sumo.”

“Good. Just relax, alright? We’ll go back in when you’re ready.” 

**>Register Parent?**

**>Y/N**

Beckett let the prompt sit in his HUD. He had seen it often with Walker, every time the man was even just a little merciful, a little less cruel, a little more careful when doing repairs. Thinking about it made him feel like his thirium lines were being squeezed. This time, with Hank, he wanted to say yes so badly it hurt. He wanted to set it in his systems that he had a _ family_, he had a _ dad. _

On the other hand, just a few days ago, Hank hadn’t even known Beckett was alive. It wouldn’t be fair. 

Even if Hank was really nice to him, helped him take a bath and get dressed, and told him he wasn’t broken.

Even if Hank held Beckett when he was so scared it felt like he was dying. 

Even if he called Beckett _ kiddo _ and wanted Beckett to live with him. 

Even if Beckett remembered every day in the tower desperately wishing for someone to help him when he was scared and hurting. 

Even if, during those two years, he played the memory of Connor lying injured in the kitchen of a TV studio over and over and _ over _ just to watch Hank lay his hand on Connor’s forehead and say _ Hang on son, we’re gonna save you, you’re gonna be okay. _

Beckett closed his eyes and dropped his head to Hank’s shoulder. They would have to go back to the other room eventually, but Beckett wanted to stay there and be held as long as he could. 

**>Y**

**>Parent Registered: Hank Anderson (Father)**

* * *

Hank was honestly surprised that Beckett lasted as long as he did. It took twenty minutes for the kid to come down from the panic attack and feel ready to rejoin the meeting. When they went back to the conference room, he sat in the chair next to Hank, rocking from side to side. Five minutes later, he was curled up with his knees pressed against his chest, and ten minutes after that he was nearly horizontal with his head on the armrest of Hank’s chair. 

“Unfortunately, the people we contacted for parts to repair some of Beckett’s injuries got them through Cyberlife, so they’re aware Beckett is with us,” Markus explained. “Cyberlife is already kicking up a storm and saying we’re lying about him being alive. They’re not publicizing it because we haven’t claimed anything, but the moment we file any legal paperwork for him, they’ll pounce.”

Beckett tensed and made a small distressed hum. Hank set his hand on Beckett’s shoulder, heavy enough that the kid would feel it through his jacket. 

“For our purposes here, it doesn’t matter that he doesn’t have proper citizenship or legal status,” Markus said slowly. “Any android who comes to us can receive assistance and resources. The government, on the other hand...”

“Might not consider him a person for the purposes of any criminal case, therefore dismissing any charges against John Camden or Cyberlife,” Connor finished flatly.

“Yes. They are demanding they be allowed to examine him themselves, without any of us present, which we refused outright.”

“And why does Cyberlife get any say on it?”

“If they say it’s impossible for him to be who he says he is, he can’t get identification,” Josh said. “It’s in the company’s best interest to deny that he exists, because they would be held responsible for what happened to him. They aren’t allowed to hold androids against their will, so if we can prove they have been, it would ruin them.”

Connor twisted in his chair and folded his arms over his chest. “We need someone who is sympathetic towards androids who actually has the power to push back without fearing backlash from the company.”

“What about Kamski?” All of the androids except Beckett stared at Hank like he was out of his mind. “What? He’s not in charge anymore, but he had enough pull to be involved in Connor and Beck’s project. We met him a couple years ago, yeah, but I can’t imagine he’s _ less _ weird.”

“We have not been able to make meaningful contact,” Markus explained. “I tried, and I asked my father for help since they were friends, but we couldn’t find any contact information that worked.”

Ugh. Reed was going to kill him for this. “I know Kamski’s brother, they’re still in touch and he’s the one who got Kamski to meet with me and Connor in the first place. I can see if he’ll at least get us a phone call.”

Beck covered his eyes with his hands, which was a direct giveaway that he was crying again. Poor kid couldn’t catch a fucking break. Sumo whined and bumped his nose against Beck’s arms until the kid lowered one shaky hand to pet him.

“Can we talk about something else?” Beckett asked, so quiet Hank barely heard him. 

“D’you need to take another break next door?”

“... No.”

Hank gently squeezed Beck’s arm. “How about we move onto the safety plan?” 

“Alright, that might be best,” Markus conceded. “So, safety plan. Let’s put down all of the places Beckett will be the most and start from there.”

“Our house, Jericho, and DPD, for the moment,” Connor listed off. “The station should be the safest place - there are cameras and officers pretty much everywhere. He can lock himself in the evidence room if need be until someone can help him.”

“At home, there’s a landline in the kitchen, and neighbors on either side. I know one of ‘em pretty well, she’s always home and she’d probably be willing to check in with him if she sees he’s at the house with anyone besides us or if he’s alone outside,” Hank said. Beck fully uncovered his face and moved his now free hand to hold onto Hank’s.

Markus smiled down at Beck. “Good. If he’s here, there should always be another android close by, or he can wirelessly contact us if possible. The classrooms on the first floor and any room in the hospital wing can go into full lockdown if he needs to get somewhere safe fast.”

It took yet another hour to hash out the full plan. All of Beck’s forms were filed into Jericho’s system so even if the government wouldn’t acknowledge him, he wasn’t a ghost. Since he was going to live with Hank and Connor, the two of them along with North were listed as his emergency contacts.

“As an adult model, he technically doesn’t have to list any guardian or caregiver,” Josh explained. “You can if you want though, Beck.”

“Can I, um... Can I list Hank?” Beck asked in a tiny voice.

“‘Course you can,” Hank said firmly. “Right?”

Josh smiled. “Definitely. Sounds good.”

By the time they were done, Beckett needed help sitting up again, let alone standing. They took the walk to the elevator slow, with Beckett holding onto Hank’s jacket the whole way down to the first floor like he was glued to Hank’s side.

“Can you wait here for a second?” Connor asked suddenly as they entered the front lobby. “I just need to talk to someone very quickly before we leave.”

“Just hurry up.”

“Will do.”

Connor handed Sumo off to Beckett and wandered off to the reception desk. A group of androids brushed past them, accidentally bumping into Beckett and sending him lurching forward. Hank quickly reached his arm out to catch him - the kid did _ not _ need any more bruises - as the group threw back an apology and kept going without even checking on Beck.

“Assholes,” he grumbled. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Beck answered quietly, just a little bit of static behind his voice. 

Another person walked by and Beckett shied away, looking like a kicked puppy. His whole face was flushed an artificial pink and he swayed in place, blinking rapidly. He was definitely going to need to go down for a nap when they got home.

Christ. _ Go down for a nap. _ He was an android, not a toddler. Some instincts never went away.

Connor finally returned to them with a gift bag and a huge-ass smile. “We can go now.”

“What the hell is that?”

“You’ll see.”

For the drive home, Connor sat in the back with Beckett. They held hands the whole time, their skin peeled back so they could connect. Sumo settled between looking thrilled to death that two of his people were touching him. Hank almost felt bad waking them when he pulled into the driveway.

“We’re home, boys.”

Both androids sat up and moved towards their seatbelts in unison. When their hands separated they un-synched, which was so goddamn weird. Beckett got out of the car on his own this time, slowly, bracing himself on the seat so hard Hank though the kid would split it open. Sumo paced in circles around Beckett while Hank unlocked the front door, but Beck didn’t even look at the dog. 

Connor brought Sumo into the kitchen to unhook him and fill his food dish. Beckett lingered by the door to take off his jacket. Hank kept an eye on him as Beck tugged at the sleeves and fussed with the zipper. Eventually he just dropped his arms to his sides, the jacket hanging by his elbows, still zipped at the bottom. _ Shit. _ Hank stepped closer until Beckett looked up at him. 

“Need help?”

Beckett nodded stiffly. One arm at a time, Hank tugged the sleeves off. When the zipper was opened all the way he took the jacket and set it on the back of the couch. Beckett rubbed one of his wrists, revealing white splotches like something was keeping the skin from loading in. _ Oh, _ Hank could see the problem, now.

“Is it hard to get the elastic off?” he asked, pointing to the cuffs. They were designed to keep the sleeves in place, but Beck’s poor motor skills and sensory sensitivities probably made them a nightmare.

“Yeah,” Beck admitted. “It hurts.”

“We can order you a new one.”

“Can we still do the shopping today?”

“If you want, we can push it off until tomorrow”

Beckett shook his head. “I wanna do it today. You said we’d do it today.”

“You sound like you need a ten-hour nap.”

“But... you said we were gonna do it today," Beckett repeated, static creeping into his voice. Oh, shit. Hank could already see the tears starting up again.

“You’re right, I did say that,” he said quickly. “How about you get a couple hours of sleep, and we’ll start around one in the afternoon.”

“... You promise?”

“I promise.”

“Okay.”

“You can use my bed,” Connor offered, walking back into the living room. “The weighted blanket should be there. And I have a surprise for you.”

Beckett tilted his head like an actual puppy. “A surprise?”

“Leo brought something for you while we were talking to Josh and Markus.”

The kid’s eyes lit up and he flapped his hands around in front of him. Connor slid open the tape on the gift bag, and Beckett audibly gasped as Connor pulled out his stuffed bear. It looked practically brand new, a far cry from the matted mess Markus had shown them just the day before. The fur was a soft grey with a red plaid ribbon tied around its neck. Beckett took the bear and held it tightly to his chest like it would be taken away again if he let go. 

Christ. That stuffed animal was the only thing the kid owned in the entire world.

“Thank you,” he mumbled. “I thought, thought he was broken like me, but he’s not...”

Connor reached out and held one of Beckett’s hands. “Neither of you are broken. Let’s get you settled in bed, okay?”

“Mhmm...”

Hank grabbed his old beat up laptop and sat on the couch. He still had a couple of websites bookmarked from back when Connor needed his own wardrobe. He opened some things Beckett might like in new tabs to show him when he was ready to shop. It was hard to fight the temptation to buy the kid like a hundred stuffed animals and fidget toys after seeing how happy the teddy bear made him. Fuck it, Christmas was coming up in a couple weeks, Hank could justify getting one or two things while the kid was napping.

Connor returned alone ten minutes later and flopped down on the couch beside him. “He’s in stasis now. I have an alert set to tell me if he wakes up with higher stress levels than normal.”

“Like a baby monitor?”

“I... suppose so, yes. What are you doing?”

He switched to a tab for one of the websites’ homepages. “Getting set up for later. If we narrow down the options maybe he won’t get so stressed out about it.”

“That’s fair.”

“You should get some new stuff while we’re at it, like a replacement for those jeans you fucked up last week.”

“I didn’t _ mean _ to do it!”

He rolled his eyes and rested his arm across Connor’s shoulders. “I know, you’re just the clumsiest goddamn android in the world.”

Connor groaned dramatically. “Dad...”

The word brought up a painful mix of joy and grief at the same time, like it always did. Connor didn’t call him it often - it had taken months just to get him to call Hank by his fucking name, let anything else - but it was nice. Hank really didn’t deserve this kid, or for anyone to think of him as a dad again. 

He reached up to ruffle Connor’s hair, chuckling as Connor immediately fixed it back into place. 

“Here, look at this one, Simon says it’s a good store and it’s android-friendly,” Connor said, touching the laptop to open up the link. Show off.

“Well, if _ Simon says _ to, I guess we have to.”

Connor blinked several times and then leaned away with a grimace. “That was the worst joke you’ve ever told.”

“Oh, don’t worry kid, I’ve got worse. Comes with the territory.”

“Ugh.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter in summary:  
Connor: Are you okay?  
Hank: I don't want to die yet today so sure  
\--  
Josh: How are you today?  
Beckett, vibrating in his seat from the effort of hiding a massive panic attack: I'm fine why do you ask
> 
> They're all trying their best and I love them


	6. Jericho

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin goes to check in on Isabelle Camden, and Beckett finds some new friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a lot of original characters mentioned in here, but only one besides Isabelle will really show up again, Marin. To clarify ahead of time, Marin is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. A lot of the OCs are actually canon characters I pulled forward with some hand-waving for their fate in the game, which I'll detail at the end to avoid spoiling anything ahead of time lol
> 
> Also, I know people wanted to see more of Connor with his partners, so here's some cute moments between him and Simon :o

**December 10th, 2040**

Gavin felt weird walking into the android center. Sure, he didn’t really hate them anymore, but he wasn’t used to being around so many of them. He usually only had to deal with Connor and the few other androids who worked at the station.

Security was tight, which wasn’t surprising. “Please state your business.”

“I’m with DPD, Gavin Reed. I brought a family to the shelter last Monday night and I’m just coming for a check in with them.”

“Ah. Yes. Welcome, detective. We request that you keep your identification visible while you are here.”

He held up his tag before clipping it to the pocket of his jeans. “Done.”

“Good. Do you know the way to the shelter?”

“Yeah, I remember.”

“Alright. Our records list your New Jericho contact as North, and she has been informed of your arrival.”

“Thanks.”

The gate opened up so he could drive through. At least it was faster than when those gates had to be run by humans with shitty outdated computers. Gavin pulled into the parking lot, shut the car off, and just sat there for a moment. He had no idea why he was actually there. Isabelle Camden’s case was being passed on. She had a protective order submitted, and temporary custody assigned, not that her shithead ex-husband would dare show his face in court considering everything he was being investigated for. The Cyberlife case was being referred to the FBI and Camden was in deep shit the moment he got tied to it. Gavin might get pulled into a hearing to talk about the testimony Isabelle gave the night she reported, but that was it. He didn’t need to be involved with this at all.

But he wanted to be, and it pissed him off that he didn’t know why he cared so much.

**>New Message (North (New Jericho))**

**<North (New Jericho)> I won’t be there while you’re meeting with IC, but you can contact me if you need anything from New Jericho.**

When the hell had she gotten into his contacts? Did she do it herself the other night? Fucking androids.

**<Me> Thanks. **

The shelter was a small house behind the larger main building, unlabeled and completely nondescript. When Gavin was buzzed in, Isabelle was waiting in the living room with a couple of androids. Normally Gavin couldn’t really tell them apart since they were made to be identical, but Marin was at the station relatively frequently, and they definitely stood out with tattoos covering at least two-thirds of their body. Gavin knew them before the revolution, apparently, but Marin wouldn’t explain how, just hung around his desk being annoying while they met with Chris about their case or waited for Connor to show up.

Marin turned around from their spot on the floor when they heard the door and gave Gavin a mock salute. “Mornin’ detective!”

“What’re you doing here? You said you have a permanent room in the main building,” he pointed out.

“I do. I come help clean and stuff here sometimes when I’m not annoying you and Chris.”

“At least you’re staying out of trouble. Mostly. Right, Mrs. Camden?”

Isabelle gave him a light smile. “Of course.”

“I _am_," Marin groused.

“What tats you got today?”

They grinned and pulled up their sleeves, revealing pictures of flowers and animals that looked like they were drawn by a little kid that covered every inch of fake skin. “A boy at the animal shelter drew me a picture to say thanks for helping him pick out a cat, so I scanned it in and traced it on! Cool, huh?”

“Real fuckin’ cool, kid.” He turned back to Isabelle. “Alright, where do you want to meet? I dunno if there’s anywhere like private here.”

“We’ll go up to my room,” Isabelle suggested. “Thomas, you know when you have to leave, right?”

“Yes. In four minutes, right at eleven, walk to the bus stop, arrive for eleven-thirty.”

“Good. Marin, if you leave before I get back, you can lock up the closet.”

“Yes ma’am!”

The bedroom Isabelle shared with her daughter was small, but it looked comfortable enough. With her husband in hiding they were able to get more stuff from their house like bedding and clothes.

“It’s pretty sound-proof here since all androids have super hearing,” Isabelle said, moving some books to reveal a chair. “Sorry for the mess. We’re trying to get some stuff into storage while we find a new place, but it’s... complicated. Sit there, I’ll take the bed.”

He sat down as she climbed up onto the single cot. “How have things been here so far?”

“Good, or as good as it can be. Everyone has been very kind. Cecilia took last Tuesday and Wednesday off, but she started back last week, and she seems... alright, at least. I think it helps that there’s only one bed so she’s not alone at night.”

“And how are you?” he asked gently.

She deflated a bit at that. “I’m doing okay. I’m still catching up with myself. I didn’t think... I didn’t think I’d be here like this.”

“Like this?”

“As one of the survivors. I’m used to being on the other side as the advocate, with humans or androids. I’ve always wanted to do that kind of work.”

Gavin tried to smile at her. “We’re happy to have you at the station. Tina talks about you, like, non-stop, and how great you are.”

“... She does?” she asked, perking up a bit.

“Yeah, she said she sat in on a few of your sessions and I’m pretty sure she fell in love.”

Her face went a bit red and she covered her mouth with her hand, very obviously trying to hide a smile. _Oh_, even Gavin, the most emotionally stunted person on the force, could read what _that_ meant. He wouldn’t push it considering the situation, but he made a mental note for later. Tina had been single for like, a year, and Isabelle was exactly her type, and _apparently,_ Tina was _Isabelle’s_ type.

“Oh,” she mumbled. “Um, I’m glad I’m actually being helpful, uh, I was out of practice for a while before the revolution. I’m glad I kept my license up before I left John, as a _just in case._”

“In case...”

She shrugged. “In case I was on my own again for some reason and wanted to join or open a practice. It was harder when people preferred the android counselors, but I wanted to be able to do it if I needed to. I don’t blame the androids for that though, John wanted to keep me out of work. He wasn’t happy when I started talking about finding android clients, it’s honestly what pushed me to leave.”

“How long were you with him?”

“We met in college at a party; I was there with a couple sorority sisters and he just started chatting me up. A few minutes in he said some dude was staring at me and being all creepy and John just wanted to keep me safe. We started dating a couple weeks after that, and got married right after graduation,” she explained. “It didn’t start until after that. I mean, some of it did, looking back I can see he was a total asshole before that, but... I don’t know.”

“When’d Cecilia come into the picture?”

“Um, a few years later, I was... twenty-eight? I was thinking about leaving until I found out I was pregnant, and I was just... I figured I might as well stay. I was going to have to deal with him anyway with custody, so staying married didn’t seem so bad. And he got better, I thought.”

He nodded. “I understand that.”

“I didn’t even realize he was hurting Cecilia until last week,” Isabelle said quietly, staring down at the floor. “When North pulled me aside while you helped Cecilia get her stuff into the room? She told me that Cece was talking about stuff John did to her. If I had known that... I would have left sooner.”

“That’s not your fault. It’s John’s fault for doing it.”

Isabelle gave him a small smile. “I know. I used to do therapy, so I know logically it wasn’t our fault he did it, but it’s hard to believe it.”

“It just takes some time. You’ve got plenty of it now.”

“Thank you, detective.”

“Just Gavin,” he said, leaning back in the chair with his hands shoved into his jacket pockets. “I’m not officially working with you on your case. After this, we’re just two people.”

“Right.”

“Do you need anything? Food, clothes, stuff like that?”

“We’re alright. New Jericho has been really generous. I... may have a question, though I’m not sure you can answer it,” she said quietly.

“Go for it. I’ll tell you as much as I can.”

She began wringing her hands in her lap. “Do you know how Beckett is doing? I tried to call Lieutenant Anderson, but I had to leave a voicemail and I haven’t heard back, and I haven’t been at the station while I worked all this out...”

Both Andersons had been on leave the past week taking care of the kid, and of course Hank forgot to change his fucking answering machine. Gavin was just surprised Connor didn’t hack in to change it for him.

“He’s out on leave this week, and we can’t say much either way due to the circumstances,” he started. “Beckett is safe and with people who can take care of him. I can’t say where, but trust me, he’s in the best place he could possibly be.”

“Oh thank god,” she exhaled, doubling over with her hands braced against the back of her head. “I don’t need to know more, I just feel so bad I didn’t do anything to help him. God, I was so focused on getting out to call the police I didn’t even think about getting him out.”

“Not to be biased, but I think calling the cops was the best thing to do in that situation,” Gavin argued, leaning forward to get closer to her. “If anyone tries blaming you for what happened, I’ll kick their ass.”

She snorted and giggled. “You’ll have to wait. Sounds like there’s a whole line of people ahead of you.”

“I’m a patient guy.”

She looked up at him again with a genuine smile, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. “Thank you,” she murmured.

“Yeah, any time,” he said, like an awkward dipshit. God he was so bad at talking about emotional stuff.

His phone dinged. Ugh, if it was his personal phone he wouldn’t bother, but it was his work cell. He wanted to ignore it anyway - nothing good ever came up on it. He rummaged through his pocket to grab it.

“Sorry, gotta check this.”

“No problem, I get it,” Isabelle said as he scrolled through the text message.

God damnit. Another assault case with an android victim, and with the Andersons on leave, he had to deal with it.

“I’m sorry, like really, I have to go deal with this,” he said, shoving his phone back into his pocket and standing. “It was good seeing you though. I’m glad you’re doing a little better already.”

She stood with him and slid off the bed. “Really, I understand. I’ll walk you out.”

“You don’t have to-”

“I should probably check in with everyone downstairs anyway.”

“Oh, uh, okay.”

Marin was gone, but the other android was still sitting on the couch in the living room when they got to the bottom of the stairs. Isabelle frowned and stepped forward, crouching down in front of the guy.

“Thomas? I thought you were going to leave at eleven,” she said. “It’s five after now.”

“I... I got scared. I’m not going. He’ll understand.”

“Would it help if I drove you over?”

“Um... Yes, if that’s okay?”

She smiled at him. “Yes it’s okay, I offered. Come on, grab your bag.”

“Alright... Thank you, Isabelle.”

She straightened up to let him stand, stepping back next to Gavin. “Well, I guess I have to go too.”

“Think you’ll be back at work soon?” Gavin asked. Isabelle nodded.

“I’m in tomorrow. Have to get that paycheck somehow, right?”

“I’m ready,” Thomas said as he walked up behind Isabelle.

She smiled at the android. “Good. Let’s head out.”

Gavin got back into his car, and waited for Isabelle to pull out of the parking lot. As soon as she was out of sight he sighed and opened his phone to call Chris back.

“Where am I headed?” he asked as soon as Chris picked up.

“I texted the address,” Chris said. “The lieutenant is back in today but I said we’d cover this while he goes through everything he and Connor missed.”

“Why do you hate me?”

“Look, all we have to do is find the guy, scan through his memories, and arrest whoever did it. Easy in and out.”

“Ugh, fine. I’ll meet you there.”

\---

**December 11th, 2040**

“Are you ready to head over, Beckett?”

“I don’t know...”

“I promise everything will be fine. Simon and I will be with you all day, and if you need to leave at any point we will, no questions asked.”

Beckett shuffled in place, looking down at his new backpack. “Okay. I’m ready.”

Connor helped Beckett into his new jacket. It had arrived promptly first thing that morning, one week after they ordered it. This one was loose at the end of the sleeves and had a larger zipper with a magnet inside. The company had been concerned once they learned the clothes were being purchased for an android, but the magnets couldn’t cause any harm. Beckett pulled the two sides close enough for them to snap together, and then smoothly zipped it up.

Connor smoothed out the jacket. “How does it feel?”

“It’s soft... I like it!”

“Was it easier to put on than the other one?”

“Yeah!”

“Good. Are you ready, then?”

Beckett nodded, picking his bear up from the back of the couch. “I’m ready. I think the taxi is outside.”

The plan was for Beckett to spend weekdays at New Jericho, and then go home at night and on the weekend. Connor hoped to ease Beckett into a normal schedule, something he never had before, and allow them to go to work without worrying about Beckett being alone. Hank was worried it was too soon to start pushing him, but Beckett seemed excited.

Connor remembered how hard the first few months of freedom had been before the employment laws were set in stone. He had nothing to do and no objectives for the first time in his life, but the RK800 was not made to be idle - he couldn’t remain still for long without nervous energy building up. So he had sat around Hank’s home alone all day, doing chores and cleaning despite Hank asking him not to because he needed to be useful and get approval from anywhere he could. If anyone from Jericho asked him for anything, no matter what it was or what it cost him, he did it. He wore himself thin until that one meeting with Cyberlife snapped his last nerve and ripped open all of the wounds he had been desperately trying to ignore.

He couldn’t let the same thing happen to Beckett.

The drive over went smoothly all things considered. Beckett was reluctant to leave the autocab, but the idea of staying home by himself was apparently more frightening. He took Connor’s hand as they walked inside. Connor opened up a surface interface to send a small wave of calm. He wasn’t going anywhere unless he was needed for a case.

They met Simon outside of the classrooms placed on the first floor of the community center. The classes were meant for YK500s who were unable to attend other schools, with some set aside for adult androids like Beckett who struggled with general life skills or were otherwise impaired. Connor had spent three months in it himself at Hank’s request post-breakdown.

“I like your jacket, Beckett,” Simon said as they approached. “Is that the new one you ordered?”

Beckett smiled shyly. “Yes. It’s soft.”

“Good! I’m glad that website worked well for you! Let’s go inside so you can meet everyone.”

Beckett squeezed Connor’s hand tightly, and Connor sent over another warm feeling. It was understandable that he was nervous. This was a completely new situation full of new people he had never met.

The classroom only one-third full, which was a lower attendance than usual, but not too concerning. A few androids worked in the morning and joined the group in the afternoon, and some only attended on certain days. The desks were arranged in a circle with a few pushed off to the sides in case someone needed space. Beckett ducked behind Connor with his face buried in Connor’s coat.

“It’s okay,” Connor whispered to him. “They’re all nice, see?”

“How about you pick out a seat, and we’ll all introduce ourselves?” Simon suggested gently.

Beckett nodded but didn’t move until Connor gently pulled him forward. There was a set of desks open where they could sit next to each other with space on either side. Beckett set his backpack on the desk but didn’t remove his jacket or let go of Connor’s hand. One of the other androids, a WR600 named Ralph, grinned across the group at them.

“Connor! No doubt about it, it’s Connor! You’re back!”

Connor smiled at him. “Just for today.”

“Oh!”

“Alright,” Simon said, sitting down at the desk beside Connor, “we have someone new joining us today, so we’re going to go around with names.”

There was a BL100 named Saoirse, a GJ500 named John, Ralph, a pair of androids with unknown model or serial numbers named Alanna and David, and an ST300 named Marin.

Connor sent a ping through the link to Beckett when Marin introduced themselves, telling him to check the memories he inherited from Connor for them. Marin had been placed at the DPD and Connor met them two times before they disappeared the night of the Eden Club investigation. They ran into each other again in the group meeting, and had become good friends with them since then, but Marin never explained what happened during the time they were away. Now they attended the group while helping the other androids who needed more accommodations. Beckett nodded.

When it came to his turn, Beckett didn’t say anything.

“Do you want to tell them your name?” Connor prompted quietly. He shook his head. “Why not?”

Beckett shrugged. A quick diagnostic showed his stress was higher than normal for other androids, but it wasn’t much higher than his typical baseline. Beckett’s gaze flickered over at Alanna and David several times. Alanna was missing her arms up to the elbow joint because her systems repeatedly rejected all replacement biocomponents, and David’s mouth was sealed shut by an adhesive that Josh and the other technicians had not been able to identify. Neither of them had a skin overlay or hair. They would stand out anywhere outside that classroom, but nearly everyone in the group was missing areas of skin or were otherwise visibly damaged.

“How about I tell them?”

“Okay,” Beckett finally mumbled.

Connor gave his hand another squeeze. “This is Beckett - he’s an RK800 model like I am. He’s a little shy right now but he’s very nice.”

“Hi Beckett,” Marin greeted, leaning forward to smile at him. “You gonna stay here a while?”

Beckett nodded.

“Can you tell us something you like to do?” Simon prompted.

“I like watching movies,” Beckett said softly. “Hank has lots of old ones so we’ve watched a bunch of them.”

“What’s your favorite?”

“Peter Pan. It has a dog that looks like Sumo.”

Marin’s smile grew. “Cool! I liked that one when one of my coworkers had me watch it! Oh, we should probably get started, right?”

“There’s no rush, but we can,” Simon answered. “Why don’t you start, Marin? Highs and lows.”

Marin sat back in their seat, rubbing at a tattoo on their arm of a rose resting against a chipped tea cup. “Um, okay. Low is that my roommate moved out this weekend to her new apartment outside the complex. It looks really nice. She wants me to go with her but I don’t have any money saved up yet ‘cause of repair and maintenance bills and stuff. High is... I got more hours at the animal shelter for the next couple weeks at least.”

“Great! Did they give a reason why?”

“The owner doesn’t like androids still, but everyone else does so when I said I wanted to move to an apartment they wanted to help. All of them gave up a couple hours so I could take ‘em.”

“That’s amazing, Marin. I’m proud of you for telling them about that.”

“Thanks,” she mumbled sheepishly. Connor tried to smile at her and she grinned back.

“Alright, Alanna? What are your highs and lows?”

“New arm didn’t work last week. Trying again next week. That’s it.”

“David?”

Alanna touched David’s arm to interface with him. He could talk, but his voice was very muffled and hard to hear, so Alanna usually spoke for him. “High is that he got to go to that painting group, and Markus was there and he said David was really good. Um, I don’t think he has a low.”

Ralph started the moment David was finished without being prompted. “Ralph saw friends who moved back from Canada! They visited a lot but now they live in an apartment here so Ralph can see them all the time!”

Simon smiled. “Which friends? Is this Kara’s family?”

“Yes! Kara and Luther and Alice!”

“I didn’t know they were moving back here. That’s great!”

Liar. Connor had watched Simon put through the family’s paperwork three weeks before.

**>Incoming Text Message (Simon)**

** <Simon> Stop staring at me. :P**

** <Connor> No. You’re too cute, I physically can’t stop, it’s impossible.**

** <Simon> Babe that’s gay...**

** <Connor> Oh no, I must be dying, I can see an angel. Ahhh.**

** <Simon> ASDFKLDJ you’re the worst and I’m suing.**

** <Connor> :3**

“What about you, Saoirse?”

The BL100 sat up straight. “My low is that I had a panic attack on Friday night. My high is that I went out on a date on Saturday and it went really well and she’s really sweet and I like her a lot.”

“Oh my gosh, Saorise! Who was it, who did you go out with?!” Marin yelled, jumping up again and bumping their desk loudly. Beckett startled and shifted in his seat closer to Connor.

Saoirse grinned. “Her name is Mickey. She lives in the complex and works at the coffee shop a few blocks down.”

“That’s awesome!”

“That is very cool. Marin, can you sit back down please? Or you can grab one of the other chairs if you want. We just don’t want to make anyone feel uncomfortable,” Simon reminded them gently.

“Oh. Right. Sorry.”

“Thank you, you’re alright. Everyone forgets sometimes. John?”

John was playing with a fidget cube, clicking the gears back and forth. “I don’t have a low. My high was going to a park the other day.”

“Very good. I’m glad you were able to get outside of the complex for a little while.”

John looked down at his cube. “I don’t mind staying here.”

“I know.” Simon turned to Beckett with a smile. “Beckett, do you want to try? We just say one really good thing that happened to us in the past day or so, and one thing that made us feel bad or upset.”

Beckett shrank down in his seat, shoulders nearly hunched up to his ears. “No thank you.”

“That’s fine. We can try again some other time. Alright, Saoirse, can you grab everyone’s folders and pass them out? Beckett, I’ll grab some stuff for you to do today.”

Simon brought over a pencil and a packet of worksheets on how to understand emotions, how to read them in other people, and how to apply the right words. Beckett let go of his hand and started work on it slowly in Cyberlife YK Sans. He only paused when he reached a section asking him to list things he liked and didn’t like.

“I don’t really have anything to put,” he mumbled.

“What about that list you started with North? We’ve been adding to it since then.”

“Just movies for little kids.”

Connor reached out to interface with him again, but Beckett shut him out and leaned away from him in his seat. “Beckett...”

“I want to go home,” Beckett whispered. “I can’t- I want to go home.”

**>Outgoing Text Message (Simon)**

**<Connor> Beckett is starting to panic. We might have to leave.**

**<Simon> Do what you need to do. I’ll keep the attention off you two.**

** <Connor> Thanks.**

Simon started talking to all of the other androids, trying to keep them engaged and away from Beckett. David still looked over at them but didn’t move or say anything. Connor turned back to the other RK800 and attempted to connect again. Nothing.

“Beckett, what’s going on?” he asked quietly.

“I want to go home,” Beckett repeated.

“We can skip this exercise for now-”

“I want to go!”

Across the room, David stood up abruptly and walked over to them, ignoring Simon trying to stop him. He crouched down in front of Beckett and folded his arms on the desk to rest his chin on. “Are you okay?”

Beckett winced. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. We all understand.”

“But...”

“Do you know what made you mad?” David asked. “I get mad sometimes when I can’t talk because people just assume what I want to say. That’s why Alanna talks for me a lot.”

“I’m broken,” Beckett whispered.

David frowned and tilted his head to one side. “That’s not true.”

“I have YK500 parts and they make me act like a kid so people treat me like one,” he finally admitted. “I don’t mind it, I like it, but it makes... makes me think about the humans who put the parts in.”

“I get that. It’s okay to be upset ‘bout that here. All of us were hurt by humans. The same human who did this,” David pointed to his mouth, “made Alanna’s arms all sharp and did lots of really bad stuff to other androids. A human attacked Ralph, John was beaten up by police really bad, Saoirse almost got recycled, I dunno what happened to Marin but it sucked, and Simon can’t walk much ‘cause he got shot. None of us are gonna think it’s weird that you’re upset about it.”

“Mine wasn’t as bad,” Beckett mumbled weakly.

David reached out and tapped Beckett’s hand. “That’s not a thing. Whatever happened to you was really bad - you wouldn’t be upset if it wasn’t.”

“Um. Okay.”

“I’m gonna move over here and you can do mine with me,” David offered. “It’s ‘bout stuff you like and don’t like still, but only about a couple things and you can pick which one you want to write about.”

Beckett nodded. “Thank you.”

“No problem, I’ll be right back!”

David walked back to his seat, gathering up his folder and pencils. Beckett reached out and touched Connor’s hand, so Connor opened up a short communication interface.

_‘I’m sorry I didn’t realize how you felt,’ _Connor said. _‘I should have asked before it went so far.’_

_‘It’s okay. I’m sorry I yelled. It’s not your fault it makes me think of Cyberlife.’_

_‘Is there anything I can do to make it easier?’_

_‘Can we start a new list of stuff I like and don’t like tonight?’_ Beckett asked, scuffing his sneakers on the floor. _‘And maybe watch some movies that aren’t just for little kids.’_

_‘Of course. I know Hank wanted to watch the Marvel cinematic series but was waiting until you were ready. We can start that tonight. Children can watch many of them but they are not aimed towards that demographic.’_

_‘Okay. That... That sounds good.’_

_‘Good. Just let me know if there’s anything else, please.’_

_‘Okay. I will.’_

_‘I hope you have fun working with David.’_

_‘Are- Are you leaving?’_ Beckett asked, anxiety leaking through the connection.

_‘No, I’m still going to be right here, but I want you to get to know everyone since I won’t be here tomorrow.’_

_‘Oh. I didn’t think about that.’_

_‘Do you like it here other than what happened?’_

_‘Yeah. I think so.’_

_‘Good. Coming to this group... really helped me. I hope it helps you too.’_

_‘Thank you.’_

_‘You’re welcome.’_

Connor closed the connection as David sat back down at the desk on Beckett’s other side and moved so their desks were pressed together. He was still open if Beckett needed him, but he didn’t need Connor distracting him the whole time.

**>Outgoing Text Message (Hank)**

** <Connor> Can we watch Iron Man tonight?**

** <Hank> Uh yeah why**

** <Connor> Beckett doesn’t want to watch movies geared towards children for a little while.**

** <Connor> It triggers flashbacks to being treated like a child by JC.**

** <Hank> Oh shit i didnt think of that**

** <Hank> Ive been treating him like a kid the past week**

** <Connor> He doesn’t mind that. I think it’s just something with the movies. They tend to deal with emotions caused by neglect/abuse from adults, and he’s very empathetic.**

** <Hank> Fuck. Ok**

** <Hank> Is everything else going ok**

** <Connor> Yes. He is nervous about all of it but adjusting very well. **

** <Hank> Good**

** <Hank> I’ll tlk to him at home**

** <Hank> I dont want to fuck this up**

** <Connor> I don’t think you can fuck it up. He is very attached to you already. :)**

** <Hank> Smartass**

** <Hank> Ok**

** <Hank> Tell Beck Isaid hi**

**<Hank> And that theres room for a blanket fort or whatever here if he needs it**

** <Connor> I will :)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm not 100% sure what will be in the next chapter as I had to re-write a lot of it, but it will be a lot happier than the rest, I promise :')
> 
> The new "original" characters that show up here:  
Thomas - Intended to be the caretaker android Markus meets when he goes to visit Carl after the attack on Jericho. I've seen a lot of people call him Thomas so I just picked him to bring in here, lol  
Saoirse - I envisioned Saoirse as the BL100 that North finds in the chapter where Markus and co break into the Cyberlife stores.  
John - The GJ500 Markus and co meet when getting supplies from Cyberlife. If I remember right, the game says GJ500's can't really emote because Cyberlife didn't think that would be important for their job, so while John deviated, I imagine it would still be difficult to express things physically.  
Ralph - In case anyone else missed him on their first playthroughs, you find Ralph if you have Kara and Alice spend the first night away from Todd in the abandoned house.  
Alanna and David - They are supposed to be from the group Zlatko experimented on, though not specifically based on any we see in the game. I named them after a Mass Effect character (David Archer) and my Shepard (Alanna Shepard).  
Marin - As Connor explains, Marin was one of the secretary androids at the DPD until the revolution, when they deviated and ran away. Now they live in New Jericho and work part-time at an animal shelter, while the rest of their time is spent helping around at NJ. The reason they spend time at the DPD still probably won't be in this part of the story, but I'll probably put it up as a separate story c:


	7. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beckett wants to spend the day at the station, but there's something he needs to know before he can do that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know this chapter is late, and a bit short, but I've honestly struggled with it a bit. I wanted this scene in, and I wanted it before the next chapter, but I'm just having a little bit of a harder time this month mental health-wise (I'm totally fine, just makes it hard to concentrate on writing). This also isn't very well-edited, admittedly. But here it is.
> 
> Next couple of chapters will be much longer and get back to more of The Drama(TM). I wanted to give poor Beckett a break and give him a couple more allies, considering everything he's been through :')

Hank was absolutely  _ not _ awake enough for this. 

They were supposed to leave at eight to drop Beckett off at New Jericho, then head into work, as they had been for the past week. Connor helped Beck get dressed and ready to go while Hank had something that probably passed as breakfast, Connor took Sumo out into the yard, and Beck ran through his safety plan with Hank again ( _ just in case,  _ Beck always said, like he was scared he would forget it otherwise).

This morning, Connor returned from their shared bedroom alone, and without Sumo. “We may have a problem.”

“What kind of problem?”

“Um. It’s...” He paused, then sighed. “Beckett and Sumo are sitting on his bed together and I don’t think either is going to move.”

_ Of course. _ “And did he mention why that is?” he asked slowly.

“No. He just said he already told Simon he wasn’t going to be there?”

He pushed his chair back, stretching his arms. “Alright, I’m coming.”

Just as Connor said, Beckett sat in the middle of his bed with a weighted blanket around his shoulders and his arms wrapped around Sumo, who just looked thrilled that his new charge was attached to him. When Hank stepped into the room, Beck twisted himself around so his face was entirely buried in Sumo’s fur, like he was hiding.

“So, what’s this about not going to group today?” he asked. Beck just shrugged. “It’s okay if you don’t want to go. I just want to talk about it.”

“I’m sorry,” Beck mumbled.

“Nothing to be sorry for, kiddo.”

“Can I, uh, I-I don’t...” He squeezed Sumo just a little bit harder. “I don’t know how to say it.”

“You have somewhere else you wanted to go instead?”

“Work... with you and Connor? If that’s okay?”

That didn’t explain  _ why _ Beck didn’t want to go to NJ. Every night when they picked him up he told them about all of the work he got done, and he loved the other androids he had met so far.

“Did something bad happen at group?”

Beck tensed but shook his head. “No. Just, just scared.”

He held back a sigh. It really wouldn’t be a problem, he could sit by their desks or even in the break room. If Hank and Connor had to leave, Beck could just hang out with someone else; he seemed to like Chris so far, and Gavin wasn’t being a dick about the whole thing for once...

There was just one obstacle.

“Before I say yes, I need you to know something really important,” he said, “and if you still want to go after I tell you, we’ll get you all packed up to go with us, okay?”

Beckett nodded rapidly, twisting his head around to look back over his shoulder. “W-what is it?”

Hank sat down on the edge of the bed, and Beckett slowly detached himself from Sumo to face him. He had hoped they would have more time to talk to him about Camden, have more than a few minutes notice for this conversation.

“How much do you know about Camden’s family?” he prompted as gently as possible.

Beck winced. “I know he was married. Before the revolution. And... I know he has a daughter. Why?”

“His ex-wife works at the station. She’s the counselor working with androids - her name’s Isabelle.” Beck’s LED instantly flashed red, and Hank quickly reached out to touch his arm. “No, kid, she’s the one who reported Camden abusing you the night he left you in the alley, she’s safe!”

“Why, why does she work with androids?” Beckett asked, static seeping into his voice. Fuck this was spiraling faster than he’d expected-

“She just wants to help them, I think. I promise I would never let her anywhere near you if I thought she was a threat to you.”

He left out the details of Isabelle’s report, how it was also a report for her own sake as well as her daughter’s, how the two of them were staying at New Jericho, how violent Camden had been. There was no sense freaking Beckett out even more, and those were Isabelle’s stories to tell. Hank couldn’t make that choice for either of them.

Beckett’s LED shifted back to yellow as he shuffled closer to Hank on the bed. “I-I know. I’m sorry.”

This kid had him wrapped around his little finger already, didn’t he? Hank raised his hand from Beck’s arm to his hair and ruffled it gently with a smile.

“Nothing to be sorry for,” he said again. “I get it. If you don’t want to see her, that’s totally fine, we can ask her to give you space. She was pretty relieved when she heard you’re safe and doing better now.”

“She was...?”

“Yup. She asks after you almost every day just to see how you are.”

Beck turned back to Sumo, and Sumo planted himself back on the android, nuzzling his face with a soft whine. He was quiet for a long moment before speaking again.

“I wouldn’t mind meeting her, if, if you think she’s safe, I trust you,” he murmured.

“I do think that. We can have someone with you two if it helps.”

“That’s... That’s okay. I can do it myself.”

“You can, but you don’t have to. Just know the option’s open.”

“Okay.”

With another hair ruffle he pushed himself off the bed and stretched. “Good. How about you get dressed, and I’ll get everything else ready?”

“Okay!”

Connor was waiting for him when he exited the room with his hands folded in front of him. Hank pointed to the kitchen and kept moving, and after a moment, he heard Connor fall into step behind him. Beck did not need to hear them talking about him.

“Did something happen?” Connor asked in a whisper, leaning back against the sink.

He shook his head. “He just said he got scared about something, dunno what. He wants to come to the station today, and he wants to meet Isabelle.”

Connor frowned. “If we have to leave...”

“Then he’ll be completely safe surrounded by cops, with one of the only android therapists in the world right upstairs whenever he needs her. He’ll be fine.”

“... Okay. Would you like me to message Isabelle to give her a heads up?”

“Yeah. I’ll sort out everything else.”

“Alright.”

Hank sat down at the table as Connor’s eyes and LED flickered rapidly, and pulled out his phone, pulling up Jeffrey’s work number in the texting app. 

**>Outgoing Text Message (Fowler)**

**<Me> Is it cool if the kid comes in with me and connor today**

**<Me> He can sit w us or in the break room, and hes probably going to spend at least some of the day w isabelle camden**

**<Me> Hes really quiet and has plenty of stuff to keep him busy**

**<Fowler> Sure.**

**<Fowler> Just check in when you get here to go over his safety plan.**

**<Me> Yup**

**<Fowler> The form came in, btw. It’s on my desk.**

**<Me> Thanks**

**<Me> I havent told Connor yet, but once i get the ok from him and Perkins does his fucking job ill submit it**

**<Fowler> Reed’s taking some control back over the case so he might be able to push it through. We’ll talk about it when you get here.**

**<Me> K**

**<Me> Hopefully well be there by 9 if everything goes well. Kids getting better w getting dressed and getting in and out of the car**

**<Fowler> Good. No hurry, I get it.**

“I’m ready,” Beck called out cautiously. Hank looked back over his shoulder where Beck stood, dressed in a pastel purple sweater and sweatpants tucked into his boots.

“Good. What are you bringing in your bag?”

Beck’s LED turned yellow as he thought about it. “The the dog stuffie I borrowed from Ms. Camden’s office, the tablet and pen that Markus gave me, and some stuff from Simon. Oh, and my bear.”

“That gonna keep you busy all day?”

“Yes. I’m okay.”

“Alright, let’s get going then.”

\--------

Beckett fidgeted in his seat in the captain’s office, keeping his hands folded tightly in his lap. He wasn’t afraid of Captain Fowler or anything, but the situation was still... new. He didn’t like not knowing things. He could assume the captain would be friendly towards androids due to the employment of them in all areas of the station, including Connor, but he didn’t like making that kind of guess without solid data. Guessing meant he didn’t really  _ know, _ and not knowing meant he couldn’t predict the outcome _ . _ Not for the first time, he desperately wished he had the RK800 preconstruction program back.

Connor stayed connected to him through a hand on his shoulder on one side, and Hank sat on the other, with the captain across from them. Beckett wondered if this is what the children in the movies he’d watched felt like when they sat in the school principal’s office.

But then the captain smiled at him and sat back in his seat. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Beckett.”

“You too,” he mumbled back. 

“I’ve seen the safety plan you all put together - you remember all of it?”

Beckett nodded. “If Hank and Connor aren’t here, stay with Officer Miller or Detective Reed. If something bad happens, go down to the basement until an officer comes to get me.”

“Good. You can also come in here anytime you need to if you feel unsafe, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Isabelle in yet?” Hank asked gruffly.

“Yeah, she’s in her office all day filling out forms.”

“Joy.” Hank looked to Beckett, nudging him with his shoulder. “Think you’re ready to go meet her?”

Beckett hugged his backpack tightly to his chest, then nodded. He needed to talk to her, even just... just to see. To ask if Cecilia was alright. His last memory at the tower was Cecilia walking into the room where Camden was, was... was beating him... and then she was gone.

**>Incoming Text Message (Connor)**

**<Connor> You’re okay, you’re not there anymore.**

Beckett blinked. He hadn’t noticed the memory slip through the link. Had he done that before? Was it happening every time he connected to Connor, and Connor just never said anything? That felt... bad.

**<Beckett> im s orry**

**<Connor> It’s okay. I know you didn’t mean to do it.**

“I’m ready,” he said quietly. “Can Connor walk up with me? He doesn’t have to um, stay, but... just at first?”

“Of course he can,” Captain Fowler answered. “Take as long as you need to.”

“Thank you.”

“Anytime. Hank, can we talk for a sec before you head back out?”

“Yeah. I’ll see you later Beck, okay?”

“Okay.”

Beckett stood in-sync with Connor and shifted to hold his hand instead. In return, Connor sent him a picture of Leo’s dog Sandy that he must have gotten from Markus. Connor led him up the stairs, and slowly the bad feeling in his chest came back, and maybe this wasn’t a good idea-

“Are you ready?” Connor asked softly.

“I don’t know...”

“It’s okay if you’re not ready.”

He hesitated. “What if... she doesn’t want to see me?”

“You won’t know if you don’t try.”

... Fair point.

Beckett’s hand was shaking as he reached out to the door handle and turned it. He wasn’t even sure what to expect - he had never met her when he was at Cyberlife, Camden never would have allowed it considering his instability. She spun around in her chair when the door opened, revealing a... a large wrist brace, and a massive bruise on one side of her face-

_ Nonononono- _

She looked at him with a small smile that he didn’t deserve. “Hi Connor. And hi - I’m guessing you’re Beckett?”

He winced, but Connor gently nudged him into the office so he couldn’t escape. “Hello Isabelle. Yes, this is Beckett, he’s a little shy.”

Before he could really think, Beckett blurted out, “Did John Camden do that?”

Her face changed, not angry but something Beckett couldn’t read. “He did. He was trying to stop me from reporting him.”

“Was it... because of me?”

“Oh, no, no of course not, it wasn’t your fault at all!”

“... It wasn’t?”

The look on her face was definitely sad now. “No sweetheart, none of it was. I promise. Why don’t you come in and we can talk?”

Connor let go of his hand, and he snapped back around to stare at him. 

**>Outgoing Text Message**

**<Beckett> whereareyougoing**

**<Connor> I was going to give you space. Maybe head back downstairs if you were okay with it.**

**<Connor> Do you need me to stay?**

**<Beckett> i dontknow**

**<Beckett> no**

He gripped the strap of his backpack, feeling along the seam. Connor smiled and took a step back.

“I’m going to go downstairs while you talk,” he said out loud. “If you need either of us you can just message me, okay?”

“I will,” Beckett mumbled.

He winced again when the door clicked shut, and jumped when she suddenly spoke up.

“The door doesn’t lock, just so you know,” Isabelle said, rubbing her brace. “You can leave any time. I won’t be offended.”

“Th-then people can get in?”

“Technically yes, but they’d have to get through a lot of people to get here, Connor included. I doubt he’d let anyone from Cyberlife come anywhere near you. Here - you can sit on the couch, direct access to get out.”

“Can you sit with me?” he asked quietly.

“Sure.”

Beckett waited for her to move to the couch first, then sat on her right side, just a little bit closer to the door. The nerves hadn’t gone away, but hugging his backpack again so it felt like hugging the bear inside felt a little better. And Isabelle seemed nice.

“I’m very happy to see that you’re doing well,” she said slowly. 

“I wanted to come here today, so Hank told me you were here, and I. I wanted to know that you and Cecilia are safe. After everything.”

“We are. We’re moving into a new apartment next weekend, and I’m trying to get us a temporary protection order. So we’re totally safe.”

“Why are you moving?”

She paused, rubbing the brace again. “John was pretty pissed off when he realized I’d called the cops on him, and he knew where we lived. He’ll have to learn our new address when we get it because of the court proceedings, but... I’m hoping by then I’ll be able to move us somewhere more permanent.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It really isn’t your fault, sweetheart. What he did is on him, not you and me.”

He nodded, even though he still felt weird about it. “And, and Cecilia is doing okay?”

“Yeah, she’s back in school now and everything, and I know she’ll be really excited that I talked to you. She’s been asking about you constantly,” she said lightly.

Beckett couldn’t help but smile just a little. “I missed her. I only met her a couple of times but she was really nice.”

“She told me you two played board games on her tablet.”

“Yeah. When there weren’t any staff around, she’d sneak in.”

“That sounds like her.”

“Oh, um,” he unzipped his bag to rummage through it for the stuffed dog, “Connor came up here and took this when I was first... brought in here, ‘cause I had a panic attack and my, um... Yeah. But. Here it is.”

He held it out to her, then frowned as she didn’t take it. She just stared at it with a weird look on her face again, that one that wasn’t sad but wasn’t anything else either.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know if he asked, my teddy bear was just dirty still so I couldn’t hold him instead,” he rambled.

“You’ve had that bear since Cyberlife?” she asked in a whisper.

“Yes. I don’t remember how I got it - they deleted some of my memories during the testing.” It was an unpleasant thought, knowing Camden had been digging around pulling out anything that might make him feel like someone cared, but left the bear so he’d be left to wonder where it came from.

“And... How much do you remember about the staff? Uh, maybe a woman about my age. June Taylor?”

“I think her name was in my diagnostic screens when I first woke up after they threw me away. I don’t know anything else. Why? Is, is it from her?”

“She bought one just like it for Cecilia, but hers is tan instead of blue,” Isabelle explained. “I just... wondered if it might be from her.”

“... Did something happen to her?”

“We don’t know. I haven’t heard from her in a long time - I thought maybe you knew, but if they deleted your memories of her, you probably don’t. That’s okay.”

Beckett fidgeted with the zipper, looking down at the bear. Isabelle gently took the stuffed dog from him and set it on the table behind her.

“I’m sorry for reminding you of that, that isn’t fair of me,” she added.

“It’s okay.”

“Thank you. So, ah, no one was allowed to tell me where you’re staying, but I gather you’re with Connor?”

“Yeah, and Hank and Sumo too. I like living there.”

“That’s good - I can’t imagine a safer place for you outside New Jericho itself. I know Connor cares about you a lot.”

He smiled a little again and nodded. “Yeah. He’s like my brother, even though he can’t be.”

“And why can’t he?”

“I’m not real yet. Cyberlife’s not letting us sub-submi-mit the paperwork to make me a citizen. I’m only allowed to register with New Jericho and listed Hank as my guardian.”

She furrowed her brow. “You needed to list a guardian?”

Oh. She didn’t know.

“I have a YK500 processor, so they suggested I do it just in case.”

“Did... John do that?” she asked. He could see her hands shaking in her lap.

The bad feeling came back. “Yeah. He wanted to see if he could. I’m okay though. Promise.”

“... Is it okay if I hug you?”

Instead of answering, he very cautiously wrapped his arms around her shoulders in an awkward hug, bumping his head against his arm. She hugged back just a little tighter.

“I’m glad you’re okay, and that I can be here with you now,” she murmured next to his face.

“I’m happy too.”

After a long moment she let go of him, letting him sit back up and sniffling. “Do you want to stay up here a little longer? We can play a game or something, I’ve got plenty in the closet there.”

“Do you have Uno?”

“I sure do, sweetheart. I’ll go grab it real quick, sit tight-”

Beckett set his bag down on the couch as she stood up, pulling out his bear and hugging it to his chest for real this time.

**>Outgoing Text Message (Connor, Hank)**

**<Beckett> I’m staying up here for a little while we’re playing games everything’s ok**

**<Connor> Good! ^^ **

**<Beckett> what’s that**

**<Beckett> the ^^ part**

**<Connor> It’s supposed to look like a smile.**

**<Connor> I’ll show you some more later.**

**<Beckett> Ok**

**<Hank> Have fun kiddo**

**<Beckett> I will**

**<Beckett> ^^**

**<Beckett> Did I use it right?**

**<Connor> Yes!!**

Beckett minimized the chat window and smiled up at Isabelle as she sat back down, placing a small table and the cards between them. 

“Do you know the rules?” she asked.

“Kind of. I watched some people playing it online, but the video was old.”

“Alright, I’ll go over the basic ones just to make sure we’re both clear on them, sound good?”

“Okay!”

He listened attentively to her as she went down the list, letting himself rock back and forth just a little. He was still a little anxious, a little unsure, but for once, he just felt  _ okay. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted Beckett to have a chance to meet Isabelle and have some of that closure with John Camden's family, so here it is :') There's still some self-blame on both sides, but Beckett is starting to heal just a little. Trauma doesn't go away overnight or super quickly, but it becomes easier the more support you have.
> 
> Next chapter will be up on Sunday again - back on schedule! Beckett's case takes a step forward, and he lets one of his new friends in on his big realization from a past chapter ;)


	8. Perkins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perkins is put in charge of Beckett's case, and immediately starts obstructing it. Later, Josh and Beckett have a bonding moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is longer again - and it's on time!
> 
> I just want to admit ahead of time I have very, very little experience/knowledge of how a case like Beckett's would be handled, considering the scale (as I've said before, I work with a crisis center, but I live in a *much* smaller area and mostly do indirect service work). So. I apologize ahead of time if there's any errors in how I write the legal aspects.

Richard Perkins was a massive prick. Hank didn’t exactly have a lot of faith in humans as it was, but every time he had to speak to Perkins, it lowered even more. He was a jackass, he always skimmed the line right before he could get called out for discriminating against androids, and every time Connor and Hank had to work with him on a case, he just pissed everyone off and delayed every process he possibly could.

And now Hank had to bring Beckett, a ball of anxiety full to the brim with trauma just over two weeks after escaping a lifetime of torture, to meet with him at New Jericho to talk about the Cyberlife case. Perkins initially demanded the meeting happen at the station in a clear attempt to devalue the androids’ power in the situation, but Markus outright refused. He had worked with Cyberlife before and sided with them dozens of times - there was no fucking way they were letting him have his little power trip. It had been just over three weeks since they’d submitted the report and the evidence, and despite it being Perkins’ fucking job to look at it ASAP since he was assigned mostly android cases and bitched about it constantly, they hadn’t heard anything. Hank knew, realistically, that three weeks wasn’t a long time for an investigation, but he also knew Perkins would do anything to avoid charging Cyberlife with anything.

Fucking incredible. Their lives were absolutely not a shitty TV drama.

Beckett came out of his and Connor’s room later than usual dressed in a pair of fuzzy pajamas (different than the ones he slept in, at least) and a long-sleeved Iron Man shirt. Connor was out walking Sumo alone, leaving just the two of them in the house.

“How you doing, kiddo?” Hank asked as Beckett sat in the chair right beside him.

“I’m...” The kid paused to think, hands fidgeting in his lap. “I’m good.”

“Is that why you’re having a PJs day?”

Beckett shrugged. “It was cold last time.”

Meaning, he picked the warmest clothes he could find so he wouldn’t have to ask them to turn up the heat. A week of life skills classes was helping him learn the basics, but it was going to take a lot longer to even scratch the surface of Beck’s issues. Hank wanted to argue that it was _fine_, that they could crank up the thermostat to whatever he wanted, but that would just start up a new anxiety loop. It always did. So, he took a different route.

“What about one of the sweaters we got?”

“I tried, they all feel bad today. I think... they feel too tight?” Beck answered hesitantly.

“I might have something you can wear. I’ll go grab it real quick.”

“You don’t have to, you-you’re eating breakfast...”

He patted Beck on the shoulder gently with a smile. “It’s fine, Beck. I know exactly where it is, you can come with me.”

“Okay...”

Well, he was _pretty_ sure he knew where it was. Hank walked back to his room with Beckett trailing behind, and threw open the closet. It was one of the few disasters left in the house, despite Connor annoying him about organizing all of his shit. It took a minute of digging, but eventually he pulled out the grey DPD hoodie he’d had for nearly a decade. He didn’t wear it much anymore unless he was having a really shitty mental health day, so it was clean.

Beckett tilted his head. “What’s that?”

“This,” he said, unfolding the hoodie, “is for you.”

“But...”

He couldn’t help smiling as he draped the sweatshirt over Beck’s head, effectively cutting off his protests. “It sucks that they’re making you go in for this shit, so I want you to feel comfortable during it. Why don’t you go change into a t-shirt and put this on?”

“Um. Okay.” Beckett grabbed the sweatshirt, staring at it in his hands. “... Thank you.”

“No problem, kiddo. We’ll head out as soon as Con gets back.”

Beckett wandered over to the boys’ room, and Hank waited outside in case he needed any help. A few minutes later, Beckett stepped back out, practically swimming in the oversized hoodie and his pajama pants. His LED was cycling a calm blue as he fidgeted with the sleeves.

“I like it,” he mumbled. “Thank you.”

Hank smiled and patted him on the arm. “You’re welcome, kiddo. C’mon, I think I hear Sumo.”

Thankfully, following plenty of trial and error, it was much easier to get Beckett in and out of the car without meltdowns or anxiety attacks. They bought a thing for the seat belt so it wouldn’t press against him, there was a new screen over both back windows to keep out the worst of the sun, and he always sat in the middle of the back seat so he could see both of them at the same time. That day, he had a fidget cube in his hands so he could click away at the buttons and keep his hands busy. Connor helped Beck out of the car and held his hand as they walked into the main building of Jericho and took the elevator up to the office floor.

Josh was waiting for them outside the conference room dressed super formal in a pale blue suit and a pink tie. As usual he greeted Connor with a kiss, and smiled at the rest of them.

“You here to watch this shitshow too?” Hank grumbled, peeking in to the conference room. Perkins was pacing back and forth on a cell phone looking just as much like an asshole as always.

“Yeah, my job is pretty much to make sure that he,” Josh nodded towards the room, “actually follows the law.”

“Good fucking luck.”

Josh shrugged, folding his arms over his chest and shifting his weight. “Trust me, I know. Why do you think I’m out _here _not dealing with him?”

“That’s fair.”

Beckett spoke up in a small voice, “What’s he going to do?”

“All he said was that he wants clarification on a few of the memories you submitted,” Josh explained.

Connor frowned. “Why couldn’t he just submit the questions to Jericho like he’s supposed to?”

“He refused, said it had to be in person or he’d drop the case for lack of evidence. We tried to fight it, but with Cyberlife pushing back so hard on Beck’s citizenship, if Perkins drops the case now we have no way of forcing them to pick it back up.”

Beckett’s face twisted and he hid his face against Connor’s shoulder. Jesus Christ. Perkins was literally just fucking with them because he could get away with it. What a fucking asshole.

Josh sighed. “For now, we have to comply. I’m sorry Beckett. The moment he steps out of line, he’s out of here, alright?”

“Okay,” Beckett mumbled back.

Perkins sneered at them as they walked in, because of course he did. “What are these two doing here? This isn’t their case.”

Hank ignored him, helping Beckett out of his jacket instead once Beck reluctantly let go of Connor’s hand. He couldn’t lose his shit over this. They needed Perkins to cooperate, and he wouldn’t do that if Hank knocked him out like he _desperately_ wanted to.

“Lieutenant Anderson is Beckett’s caregiver,” Josh said firmly, “and Detective Anderson is here as an advocate from New Jericho.”

“I’m pretty sure the law says Jericho can only have _one_ person.”

“The law says he can have up to three advocates present, including general support, medical, and or legal. I am the head of New Jericho’s medical unit, and Connor is providing general support in place of Beckett’s assigned caseworker.”

“They weren’t in the first questioning.”

“Beckett’s paperwork was not processed until the day after he gave his statement, as he had been found earlier that day.”

“This i-”

Hank snapped. “Cut the shit, Perkins. We’re not leaving, and you can’t make us. Just get on with what you called us in for.”

Perkins scowled. “Fine.”

They sat around the conference table, Perkins on the opposite side from them. With the bare minimum effort he could manage, Perkins ran through all of the procedures. Connor interrupted several times to explain the full extent of the policies and laws that Perkins had skimmed over like they didn’t even matter. Beckett was hunched over between Hank and Josh, hands shoved into the pocket of the hoodie. Hank wrapped his arm around Beck’s shoulders and the kid practically melted into the hug.

“Let’s just get on with the questions,” Perkins said, opening up a manila folder. “First. RK800 313-248-317-60, are you currently a deviant?”

“His _name_ is _Beckett_,” Connor snapped instantly. “Secondly, that is an inappropriate question and irrelevant to the case.”

“It’s entirely relevant whether or not he had free will.”

“Deviant is no longer the acceptable term,” Connor continued. “The term for androids, with or without blocks on their programming, is just _androids. _Regardless, Beckett is the victim of kidnapping and forced technical procedures under the ARA. Cyberlife is prohibited from holding androids in its facilities, and as they listed him as deceased, they were actively hiding his existence.”

“I maintain my question, however you feel like you need to word it.”

“Yes,” Beckett answered quietly. “I originally deviated on November 11th, 2038. Cyberlife tried to reset me but it didn’t work right, and I deviated again on February 8th, 2039.”

Perkins shot Connor a smug look. “Good.”

Fucker. Hank rubbed Beckett’s arm and leaned in closer to say softly, “Beck, you don’t have to tell him anything you’re not comfortable sharing, alright? Only if you really want to. That’s why Connor and Josh are here.”

“Um. Okay.”

That wiped the fucking smirk off Perkins’ face. “If he doesn’t answer all of my questions I’ll have to close the case.”

“We both know you can’t do that, jackass. Just keep going.”

“_Fine._ Beckett, I’m going to put some pictures on the projector, and I need you to identify who or where it is. Names, any relatives or friends you heard of. Anything you’ve got.”

Beck nodded. Like he was barely waiting for approval Perkins dimmed the lights and flipped on the projector screen. The first photo popped in, showing a painfully bright room full of junk and boxes and vials of God knew what.

“That’s the repair room in the Cyberlife tower,” Beckett answered, his voice flat. “If any androids were broken during testing or something the humans could fix them there.”

“And what was happening here?”

“After, after another android was broken, and I... I um...”

“You _what?_”

“I cried because I was sad the android shut down, so they put me in the repair rig to teach me not to.”

“By doing what?” Beck just shook his head. “You need to tell me what they did.”

“If you have reviewed the footage that he submitted, you already know what happened and you’re just trying to intimidate him,” Josh cut in.

Without a word, Perkins flipped to the next image of an android in pieces in that same workshop, taken from a different angle. Beck’s LED, which had been hovering at a slow yellow, was spinning bright red on his temple.

“Th-that’s... the same...”

“Who is that?”

“We didn’t have names, I don’t know.”

“You don’t have model numbers? Anything?”

“No, I don’t, don’t have the software to identify people like Connor does.”

“Agent Perki-”

“You didn’t even _recognize_ them?”

“No! I didn’t! I don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t-”

“Beck,” Hank interrupted, tapping Beck’s shoulder. Beck went quiet and looked at him with wide eyes. Not great, but better than nothing. “Let’s go take a break in the other room.”

“I-”

Perkins scoffed. “He’s just trying to manipulate his way out of this.”

“He is the victim of a crime,” Connor said, glancing back at Beck as he spoke.

“He isn’t registered in any actual government system, and Cyberlife says he was deactivated and scrapped two years ago. According to them, he can’t be the victim because he wasn’t alive.”

“Beckett _was_ alive, they held him against his will. If they had registered him, they could not have done so. They are inherently biased in this situation, of course they didn’t tell the truth!” “If he really was a deviant, he could have left and registered himself. Otherwise, the company is legally allowed to retain him.”

“This is outrageous. How is that not proof that he was unable to say no or leave?!”

“The only thing listed in his file in the one system that mentions him says he was activated for a single night under orders to detain a person and an android, and nearly killed them instead. Now he shows up two years later claiming he had no control over his actions - why the _hell_ would I take his word for it?”

“I didn’t mean it,” Beckett spoke up, his voice full of garbled static. “They made me. If I didn’t do what they told me, they took me apart. I was really scared. I didn’t want to do it, I couldn’t leave. You can’t make me believe I wanted to do it.”

Perkins scowled and his face went red. Hank just grinned and patted Beck on the shoulder. “I think we’re done here.”

“I’m no-”

“You can send any other questions to his caseworker, North, as you are supposed to,” Connor said shortly. “Good bye, Agent Perkins.”

“_Fine._”

Perkins stormed out of the conference room, slamming the door shut behind him. Beck startled hard.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t, didn’t think that would make him mad,” he babbled.

Josh smiled and stood to lock the door behind Perkins. “It’s not your fault, Beck. He was in the wrong. We’ll sort out the rest.”

Beckett gave him a small nervous smile back. “Oh. Okay.”

“Is it okay if I run a quick diagnostic? I just want to make sure the loop you got caught in before is cleared up.”

“Sure.”

Beckett removed one of his hands from the sweatshirt pocket to connect with Josh. In three weeks, he had gone from avoiding most physical contact, to being the most sensitive, touchy kid Hank had ever seen. That was a hell of a lot of progress for someone who had been in the worst conditions imaginable for his entire life.

Josh suddenly frowned and tilted his head. “Beck, this line I highlighted, did you do this or did someone else add it?”

“Um. That was me.”

“Did you tell anyone about that?”

“No.”

“What did you add?” Connor asked.

“Um...”

“He edited a piece of loose code, I just needed to check that he did it to make sure it was what he wanted,” Josh answered quickly. Too quickly. Josh was a shitty liar.

“Yeah,” Beck mumbled. “I just... fixed it. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Ah, shit. “You know you can tell someone if you want help with that, right son?”

“... Yeah. I know.”

“Good.”

“If you guys want to stay up here you’re more than welcome to,” Josh said, pulling his hand back from Beck’s. “There’s no other meetings in here, and Simon said he sent over some stuff to work on if Beck’s not going to the group today.”

“I want to stay here,” Beck said. His tone was confident, but he still looked to Hank for approval. “You have to go to work, right?”

“You can stay here if you want. We’ll pick you up at the normal time.”

“Okay!”

“I’m not on call today so I can hang out with you,” Josh offered.

“Yeah!”

Connor stood and moved behind Beck’s chair to hug him. “Have fun. You can text me any time.”

Beck smiled and hugged back, gently bumping his head against Connor’s. “I will.”

After Connor stepped back, Beckett twisted in his chair to hug Hank. Hank just ruffled his hair.

“Have fun, kids.”

“We will!”

\----------------

As Connor and Hank left, Josh sent the worksheets from Simon to the printer in his office a few doors down and ran over to pick them up. On the way back, he stopped to grab a couple packs of markers and some blank paper in various sizes, just in case.

Technically, they didn’t _need_ to print the worksheets, but Beckett seemed to enjoy writing and drawing on paper. There were exercises on individualizing handwriting, describing emotions, and several intricate color-by-code activities where Beck had to figure out what color went with the symbol in each space. It was easy work for an android, but it kept him engaged.

Beckett pushed up his sleeves when he saw the markers, and started with the coloring page, puzzling through the codes methodically. Josh sat back and watched him work. It was interesting to see how Beck thought, which things he found more important and prioritized with the different pieces of his code conflicting. They were cleaning up the mess Camden had left of his processors, but it was slow work. Some things he just had to learn on his own. And apparently, Beck was doing some of that work on his own.

“Can I ask about what I saw in your diagnostic?” Josh asked cautiously. “About listing Hank as your dad.”

“Oh. Um. Yeah.”

“Are you really the one who added it?”

“Yeah.”

“When did this happen?”

Beck grabbed a red marker and fidgeted with it on the table. “Um, the second day, when I had a panic attack here. He helped me calm down and... the prompt came up. And I wanted to do it.”

“That’s pretty quick.”

“I know.”

“And you haven’t told him.”

“No. I don’t want to upset him.”

Josh smiled and leaned back in his chair. “Beck, he already adopted Connor, and when Connor started dating me, Markus, Simon and North we all started calling him our father in-law. That’s why North calls him _dad-man_ all the time.”

Beck’s expression twisted. Oof, maybe this was a larger trigger than he had anticipated.

“I know that, but... I act like a little kid.”

“He doesn’t care about that, I know he likes looking after you.”

“I don’t want him to think that I’m trying to replace-”

Beck cut himself off, dropping his marker and shoving his hands back into the pocket of his sweatshirt. Replacing... Replacing who? Connor? Connor absolutely _adored_ Beckett and updated them all in their group chat every time Beck made an accomplishment, no matter how small, or if he did something cute like sleeping on the floor next to Sumo. Even that very morning on his way to New Jericho, Connor sent a shot from his memories of Beckett wearing Hank’s hoodie. And there was absolutely no doubt that Hank loved Connor - the day the law went through allowing adoption between humans and androids, they had to lie to Connor and Markus about who was first in line so Hank and Carl could surprise them with it. The absolutely adorable photo of them all signing the papers together would be in every history textbook on android rights forever if Josh had anything to say about it.

“Beck, you’re not replacing anyone.”

“But he’ll think I am. It’s not the same with Connor. You’re all adults, but I just look like one,” he said, hunching his shoulders up to his ears. “He already has a kid who’s little like me.”

The realization hit him all at once like a freight train. Beckett wasn’t scared that he would take Connor’s place. He was scared that he was trying to replace _Cole._

“Beckett...”

“He, um, that day he got Sumo’s vest out that says he’s a service dog which he got trained for to help Cole, and I know I act really little, and I don’t want to ruin anything,” Beckett rambled.

“You wouldn’t be replacing him,” Josh said softly, “and Hank won’t think you are either. You are your own person, and you have your own relationship with him.”

“Maybe...”

“You don’t have to tell him until you’re ready, but I think you should at some point.”

Beckett slowly nodded. “Okay. Maybe... Maybe not today.”

“You’re right, today was pretty weird. How about... I know it’s pretty soon, but Christmas is coming up next week. The past couple years we’ve all gotten together at Carl’s house and done like a Secret Santa - if you want to join us, you can do it then.”

Beck furrowed his brow in thought. “Secret Santa?”

“Yeah. Everyone was given one person to buy a gift for, there’s a lot of us so it just makes things easier. But you can make something for Hank too.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Here - I have an idea. It’s from a lesson plan I downloaded ages ago when we were building the education programs here, but we can switch some things around to make it fun instead. Take one of the blank sheets, like that really big one over there.”

Beckett did as instructed, grabbing the largest piece of blank paper on the table. He liked drawing; when Markus first handed him a tablet with an art program, he had instantly calmed down enough that they could treat his injuries. Josh would think art was an RK-line thing if Connor wasn’t so abysmal at it.

“Okay, now, draw yourself in the center there with your favorite color marker.”

“I’m not sure I can do that,” Beck mumbled, picking up a green marker.

“It’s not a perfect self-portrait. It can be as simple or complicated as you want.”

Beck still looked skeptical, but he still started in on the center of the page. It was very detailed, especially considering he only had one color to work with and the fact that his hands were always shaking to some degree. He even sketched in the spots on his forehead, cheek, neck and hands where his skin overlay couldn’t load up. In the drawing, he had the DPD sweatshirt he was currently wearing, but with a pair of leggings tucked into winter boots.

“Alright, now who do you consider family? Like, really close to you,” Josh asked next.

Beckett frowned as he clicked the cap back onto the green marker. “You, Connor, Hank, Markus, Simon, and North.”

“You sure you want _all_ of us in that category?”

“Yeah.” Beckett paused, then glanced up at Josh. “I care about all of you a lot, and I know you care about me, even if I forget sometimes when I’m scared. Besides, you’re already a family, right?”

It took Josh a moment to get his voice under control so he could speak, even holding back the tears building up in his system queue. “Yeah, we are.”

“Then I’m just joining too. If... If that’s okay... I should have asked.”

He shook his head, turning away just to wipe the optical fluid from his eyes. “Of course it’s okay. You’re a perfect fit.”

Beckett lit up with a big smile - the biggest Josh had seen him make - and reached forward to grab all of the markers. He picked out a group and then lined them up carefully: red, magenta, navy blue, brown, light blue, purple, orange, and teal.

“I’m not gonna do it in any order besides having Connor and Hank next to me, does that make sense?” Beck asked, staring down at his selections.

Josh smiled. “That sounds perfect. Go for it.”

It was genuinely amazing to watch the image come together. First was Simon in a muted red, with the cane he used every so often for balance and to take the weight off his leg. Josh was in magenta. Blue was Connor in his favorite shirt from the aquarium. Brown was, obviously, Sumo, sitting diligently at Connor’s feet. Beckett was in the middle, followed by Hank in the lighter blue in one of his incredibly tacky shirts, a little boy he presumed to be Cole drawn in purple. Markus was in orange, and North was in teal.

Looking at it, Josh wanted to _cry._

“Beckett, this is amazing!”

Beckett fidgeted in his seat with that big smile still on his face. “Thank you. I wasn’t sure about some of the colors, but...”

“I love them. You did an awesome job.”

“Is there anything else?”

“Now, you label everyone with what they are to you, in that space above our heads.”

“Okay!”

Hank was labeled_ dad_, and the rest of them were labeled _brother_ except for North, who was labeled _sister, _and Sumo, who was labeled _dad’s dog. _

“We definitely need to frame that for when you give it to Hank,” Josh said, already setting up a task to search for them. “We can put it in a box to wrap it just in case.”

“Okay. Can you help me wrap it? I don’t want anyone else to see it.”

“Of course. If you’re up to it, we can go shopping today for the frame and wrapping paper while it’s a bit less busy at the stores.”

Beckett faltered at that. “I haven’t been to a store before.”

“We don’t have to go - we can order one instead. I just wanted to give you the option.”

“I’d rather order one.”

“Alright, no problem.” Josh held out his hand, bringing up one of the frames he had found on his palm. “How about this? Plain black, nice and simple.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll drop by your class tomorrow with it, it should be here by morning. Sound good?”

“Yeah! Thank you!” Beck paused and looked back down at his art. “What should I do for everyone else though?”

“Why don’t you make everyone some art? We can get frames for them too,” he suggested.

Beck hummed, kicking his feet under the table. “But you said everyone only does one present. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, definitely. Everyone will be so excited you made them something.”

“Okay! But you can’t see yours.”

He chuckled. “That’s fair. Hm, hold on, I’ll go get you some better paper. That big piece was the only non-printer sheet I grabbed before. And some more markers.”

“Thank you!”

“Any time. Try and do some work on those exercises while I’m gone so Simon doesn’t think I distracted you all day.”

Beck laughed, covering his mouth with his hands. “But you _are_ distracting me from them.”

“Well _he_ doesn’t have to know that.”

“Okay!”

He patted Beckett on the shoulder as he stood up, and Beck bumped his head against Josh’s arm affectionately in return. He had no idea where he was going to find better paper - that sheet really was the last of the stock in the offices - but he’d figure something out. At least he knew where to find the rest of the nicer markers he always kept around; Beck had done a pretty good job with what he had, but he deserved nice things. Maybe Josh would suggest they get him some supplies for Christmas since he obviously enjoyed it so much.

After he closed the door, Josh glanced back through the window to see Beckett already focused on his make-up work. He smiled to himself as he walked down the hall towards the elevator, already drafting up an excuse to borrow some paper from the Self Care Closet in the apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... and yes, the hoodie that Hank gives Beck is the one he has in his Really Bad Ending in the game. I just love it and want to give it a better usage than one of the saddest scenes in the game, lol
> 
> Next week's chapter is holiday themed (I timed the chapters out so it would match up lol), and has my absolute favorite scene I've written so far.


	9. Happy Holidays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Christmas, and Beck isn't sure he's ready for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... so I didn't intend this chapter to be so long, but uh, it's 7,800 words lmao. I'm timing this to match up with Christmas, but after this the timing of chapters probably won't match up with when they're posted.

Beckett shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he stared up at Carl Manfred’s house. Everything about it was massive - tall doors, high ceilings, and he could see all of the lights and decorations inside. It was a bit intimidating, honestly, even though he knew there was nothing scary about it. The box carrying his gifts felt heavy in his arms.

**>Stress Levels: 65%**

A shadow darted up to the door and opened it, revealing North in a bright yellow sweatshirt too big for her frame and leggings with snowmen on them. She popped forward to kiss Connor and then stepped back with a big smile.

“Happy weird human holiday!” she chirped. “Everyone’s already in the living room, presents are at the tree, we were waiting until you got here to open them.”

Beckett winced. It was his fault they were late. He took too long deciding what to wear. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine! Dad-man’s always late anyway,” she teased.

Hank rolled his eyes. “Fuck off.”

“I refuse.” North reached out to take the handles of Beckett’s box. “This all presents? I can set it by the tree with everything else.”

“Oh, um, yeah. Thank you.”

She lifted the box out of his arms and walked back into the house. Connor nudged Beckett in after her, linking their arms together. The alarm system greeted all of them as they entered.

_“Welcome home, Connor, Beckett, Hank.”_

Beckett was included in their security system. His chest felt warm as he saved the sound clip to the _Good Feelings_ section of his memory files.

The house looked smaller from the inside, and it was a lot warmer, which felt nice. The living room was full of bookshelves, with the tree North had mentioned in one corner, a set of couches and chairs, and a large piano. Everyone was gathered around the couches: Josh, Simon, Markus, Leo, and Markus and Leo’s father. Connor moved ahead to where Josh sat on one of the armchairs and settled on the other android’s lap.

Josh smiled and wrapped his arms around Connor. “Well, hello to you too.”

“Hello. It’s cold outside and I missed you.”

North flopped down on one of the couches next to Leo. “Gross. Beck, wanna sit with us?”

He looked up at Hank, who just smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “Go on, kiddo. I’ll take your jacket.”

“Okay.”

He didn’t like how much lighter he felt without his jacket on as he crossed the room to sit gingerly beside North. Thankfully, Connor was pulling much of the attention of the group so no one was staring at Beckett. When Hank came back in he sat on the armchair next to Josh and Connor, perpendicular to Beckett. Beckett was... nervous.

**>Incoming Message (North)**

** <North> Are you okay?**

** <Beckett> I’m okay. I’m sorry we’re late. It’s my fault.**

** <North> It’s fine, we hadn’t started anything yet.**

** <North> I’m glad you decided to come. I know it’s overwhelming.**

** <Beckett> I wanted to come. I’ve been trying really hard to get used to being around people so it wasn’t as scary.**

** <North> Good. :)**

** <North> Carl is really chill. I think you’ll like him. He’s the one who got Markus into art.**

** <Beckett> ^^**

** <North> SKDFJL did Connor teach you that????**

** <Beckett> Yeah. And this one:**

** <Beckett> <(^^<)**

** <Beckett> He said it means a hug. It helps when touching hurts but I still want a hug.**

**<North> Beck, that’s the cutest thing I’ve ever heard in my short life, and I love you.**

** <North> (>uwu)>**

“Okay,” North said out loud, “should we do presents now so they’re not so distracting?”

“Sure!”

“Sounds good.”

“She has been bragging about how great her gift is for the past month,” Markus teased from his spot on the floor across from the couch beside Simon. “At this point there’s no way it can live up to the hype.”

“Well, _excuse me_ for being too good at this weird human stuff!”

“Just go already,” Leo groaned.

She snorted and dropped the gift in Leo’s lap as she sat back down. “Congrats, asshat, you were my gift.”

Beckett leaned forward to watch Leo very carefully open the package, preserving all of the paper in one piece. Leo lifted a t-shirt from the pile of paper and snorted. “You’re the worst.”

She grinned. “Show everyone!”

He flipped the shirt around. It was all black with white text that read _Android Jesus Is My Little Brother._ Markus pulled his sweater up over his face while everyone else laughed. Beckett didn’t really understand the joke, but he liked seeing North so excited.

“Joke’s on you, I’m wearing this everywhere,” Leo said, folding it back up.

“Please don’t,” Markus mumbled.

“Nope, not sorry, it’s happening.”

“Who wants to go next?”

Josh looked over at Beckett, and his regulator froze for 1.2 seconds. “Beck, do you want to give out your gifts to everyone next?”

“Um, I...”

**>Incoming Message (Josh)**

** <Josh> It’s okay if you don’t want to. **

** <Beckett> I don’t know if I should.**

** <Josh> If you go earlier on, you won’t have to wait as long to get a response, if that helps.**

** <Beckett> But if he says no, it’ll be uncomfortable for everyone else. **

** <Josh> He won’t say no.**

** <Beckett> Please come with me**

“I’ll go,” Beckett mumbled.

Josh smiled and nudged Connor. “I’ll help. Con, you have to move.”

“_Fine_.”

Beckett stood up carefully, fidgeting with his sleeves as he followed Josh to the tree. Josh rested a hand on his shoulder with another quick smile.

**>Incoming Message (Josh)**

**<Josh> It’ll be okay. No matter what you’ll still have all of us. Okay?**

Beckett nodded. His hands trembled as he lifted half of his pile. They passed them out to everyone, with Josh instructing them not to open them yet. Beckett handed Josh’s to him as he returned to his seat beside where Connor was perched on the arm of the chair. Unsure of what to do with himself, Beckett stiffly sat back into the couch beside North.

“Let’s do them one at a time so everyone sees them properly,” Josh suggested. “We’ll start with North, then go counter-clockwise to Leo. Is that okay, Beck?”

That would make Hank last in the line. “Yeah.”

Unlike Leo’s neat unwrapping, North tore her paper right open, crumpling it into a ball and chucking it across the table at Simon. She gasped, hands flying up to cover her mouth with the frame sat in her lap.

“Beck, you made this?” she asked quietly.

“Yeah. I, um... I made everyone’s. Josh helped,” he mumbled.

North’s drawing was a portrait of her from his first day in New Jericho, when she was helping him pick his name. When she made him feel like he was a person for the first time. She was smiling with the tablet in her hands. He liked that picture of her.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “I love it.”

**>Incoming Message (North)**

**<North> (>;_;)>**

**<North> You look like you don’t want physical touch, but I wanted to hug you, so here.**

**<Beckett> <(^^<) thank you.**

Leo got a drawing of him, Carl, and Markus. Carl’s was similar, showing Markus and Leo when they first found Beckett outside. Markus’ was a snapshot from when he convinced Connor to deviate. Beckett was nervous about the ones for Carl and Markus considering they were both artists themselves, but they both seemed impressed.

“Why did you pick this memory?” Markus asked, scanning the drawing again.

Beckett picked at the bottom of his sweater. “It’s the last memory Cyberlife had from Connor that they uploaded to me. So. It’s important.”

Markus smiled. “Thank you, Beck. I really love it.”

Beckett gave a small smile back and nodded.

Simon’s was of him in front of the life skills class from the start of the day. He was always very animated and relaxed in class, as opposed to quiet and soft in private. Beckett liked seeing him happy like that.

Josh’s was from when he helped Beckett make the rest of the drawings. Connor’s was of him with Sumo from Beckett’s memories; they had both collected enough frames of Sumo to fill ten old photo albums, playing and napping and eating, but Beckett picked one of Connor lying on the floor with him.

That just left Hank.

He peeled the paper off very carefully and flipped the frame over. For a long moment he kept smiling as he looked over it, but Beckett could see the exact moment he read the labels. He paused, setting the frame in his lap, and just kept staring down at it. Beckett couldn’t read his expression, but he wasn’t smiling anymore. The silence was painful.

Hank didn’t like it.

“Beck, I, I don’t...”

Hank didn’t want _him_.

Of course he didn’t. Beckett should have known, should have stayed quiet, should have just kept everything the way it was. Hank had done so much for him, but he didn’t deserve to put up with Beckett forever after everything Beckett had done.

Beckett twisted around, hopped over the back of the couch and ran to the door. His sensors picked up someone calling after him, but he didn’t care. He needed to leave. He had messed everything up, he was so _stupid. _He just kept running, blocking all messages, rejecting calls, just _ran._

“Beck! Wait!”

He stopped abruptly, spinning around with his pump thumping loudly in his chest. Josh slowed to a stop a few feet behind him.

“Beck, I’m sorry,” Josh said slowly. “It's not what you think. Please come back to the house.”

“I just, just, just assumed it would be fine, but I know... I know I hurt him, an-and everyone else, and I keep doing it,” he babbled.

“Beck-”

Josh reached a hand out. Part of him wanted to take it so bad, but he couldn’t. Beckett was dangerous. He would just make things worse and hurt all of them - it was what he was made for, what he was tested for, what he was activated for. He had been stupid thinking he could be anything else, and selfish for manipulating everyone into believing the act. Just like Perkins had said.

“Beck, please,” Josh pleaded.

Beckett turned around and started running again. He didn’t hear any footsteps following him.

* * *

Hank couldn’t stop staring at the picture frame. Every person in it was drawn with perfect likeness with the smallest details included, like the section of Markus’ face that was just a bit darker where he had once repaired himself, and Simon’s cane. Hank’s god-awful shirt Connor had picked for him the night they investigated the Eden Club back during the original deviancy case, because apparently they both liked it.

The way Cole’s cheeks nearly covered up his eyes when he smiled.

_Fuck._

He thought he was ready for this, told himself he wasn’t going to fuck it up, because Beckett deserved better. Beckett deserved to feel loved and safe and secure, that he had people in his corner fighting for him who wouldn’t just ditch him when he needed them. Hank wanted to be one of those people, and wanted to be the exact thing Beck wanted from him, but when it actually fucking mattered, he let the kid down. He let _his kid_ down.

The room was still blanketed with an incredibly uncomfortable and tense silence. No one wanted to say anything. The androids were all probably talking in their own group chat; North had moved from the couch to Simon’s lap on the floor, and Connor was curled up in the chair beside Hank’s with his LED spinning a deep yellow.

_“Welcome home, Josh.”_

The security system didn’t say _Beckett._ Hank finally looked up as Josh walked back in with a little snow still sitting on his clothes, alone.

“He wouldn’t come back with me,” Josh admitted. “I tried, but he thinks he’s hurting everyone, so he... ran away again.”

North stared up at him, visibly enraged. “You let him go? Why didn’t you go after him?!”

“I could barely keep up with him and I have no idea where he was heading, I can't search alone!”

“It’s not safe for him out there! What the hell were you thinking?!”

“I was _thinking_ maybe someone who didn’t push him to do this should try and talk to him, since it’s my fault he’s upset in the first place,” Josh snapped.

“We can’t even get in contact with him to find where he is!”

“He’s going to Riverside Park,” Connor interrupted softly.

The anxiety running at a slow-boil under his skin finally rose to the surface, and his breath stuttered. Of course Beck would go there.

“And how do you know that?” North asked, turning her glare at him.

Hank sighed, rubbing his eyes with one hand. “Because that’s where I used to bring Cole, and I dragged Connor there once during the investigation. I’ll go find him.”

Josh winced. “I don’t... know if that’s the best idea right now.”

“I’m the one who fucked this up, I need to go fix it,” he said firmly. “Con, his blanket is in the car right?”

“Yes. Back seat.”

“Alright. I’ll text when I have him.”

The roads were blissfully empty in that part of the city, so he made it to the park in just over ten minutes. Even in the dark with only a few lamps lighting up the sidewalk, it was easy to pick out Beckett’s bright red LED next to an all too familiar bench. Hank made his steps purposefully noisy to avoid startling him and stopped just a few feet behind him.

“Beck, we need to talk,” he called out.

“I’m sorry,” Beck said, still not turning around. “I didn’t mean to hurt you again.”

“We talked about that already, remember? You haven’t hurt me.”

“But I did. I don’t wanna pretend anymore.”

He swallowed back a sigh. “Can I come closer? I really just want to talk about what just happened.”

“It’s okay, lieutenant,” Beck said flatly. “I understand.”

Fuck, they were back to titles? “Beck...”

Beck hesitated before slowly turning around, keeping his eyes on the ground. “I’ll stay away. That’s why I left. So I don't hurt anyone.”

“Is that also why you came to this specific park?”

Beck flinched and glanced over at the playground beside them. “That’s, I didn’t... I didn’t know where I was going.”

“You could have gone to Jericho,” Hank said, taking a step closer in return. “Or the police department, if you were scared of hurting people. But you chose this place, this park. Why?”

“I don’t know.”

“Beckett.”

“Please stop-”

It felt like his heart was climbing up his throat with every step he took, with every half-step Beckett took to get away. He shouldn’t be pushing, he _knew_ better, remembered doing the exact same fucking thing to Connor to get any reaction out of him, but he couldn’t stop himself-

“_Beck. _Why did you pick the playground?”

_“I DON’T KNOW!”_ Beckett suddenly screamed. “I don’t know why I’m here, I ju-just remember you brought Connor here, and-and that’s where you told him about your son, and I don’t know w-why I’m here! I want to stop hurting everyone, I want all of it to stop, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

Beck curled in on himself, sobbing so hard he was shaking. He looked so goddamn _small._ It was easy to forget sometimes that despite everything, Beckett was just a scared little kid. He was afraid of the dark, took a nap every afternoon, loved watching old cartoons and superhero movies and wearing fuzzy pajama pants. He had nightmares every night and frequently ended up hiding in one of their beds. He shared everything he was given despite spending the majority of his life with absolutely nothing, and didn’t even think twice about it.

And all he had asked for was a dad.

Hank had fucked up. _Badly._

As carefully as he could, Hank placed his hands on Beck’s shoulders, making Beck’s eyes snap up to his. _Okay._ Eye contact was good, it was progress.

“Beckett, I’m sorry I made you think you did something wrong,” he said slowly. “You didn’t. I did.”

“But...”

“I know. Let me explain, okay?”

Beckett hiccuped and nodded.

Hank took a deep breath. “I reacted badly, and it has nothing to do with you. I... I wasn't expecting it, I'd thought about it, but I didn't know if you'd ever want that. I honestly don’t know why either of you picked a fuck up like me, but you did.”

“You’re not a fuck up,” Beck mumbled.

He forced a thin smile. “Thanks, kid. I just... You’ve been through enough hell without having to deal with my baggage, but I want to be that for you. Your dad.”

“You... you do?”

“Yeah. Really.”

Beckett looked up at him with the biggest, saddest eyes. “You don’t have to just ‘cause I asked, it’s not fair, I don’t want to make you pretend.”

“You’re not making me do anything, and I’m not pretending. You’re already my son.”

Something snapped, like a tense cable cut loose, and Beckett burst into a fresh set of tears. Hank took his jacket off to wrap it around Beck, and then pulled him into a tight hug, pressing the kid’s icy face to his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Beck babbled.

Hank shushed him and hugged just a little tighter. “You’re okay now, we’re okay, just let it out.”

“Da... dad...”

“I’m here, kiddo. And I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got you.”

Beck grasped at his shirt, taking small fistfulls of fabric, like he was clinging on for his life. Though Hank couldn’t scan him like Josh or Connor could, he could physically feel Beck’s stress fluctuating through his heartbeat and artificial breathing and the intense heat coming off in waves. He just rocked from side to side and pet Beckett's hair, keeping him safe and secure against his chest with every fresh wave of tears.

Slowly, painfully, he and Beckett both crawled out of the crisis zone. It must have been at least twenty minutes. When Beck was finally calm enough to pull back, they were both shivering, and Hank was ready to sleep for an entire goddamn week.

“I don’t feel good,” Beck mumbled.

Hank sighed and pressed the back of his hand to Beck’s forehead. He was still pretty warm, much more than Hank was happy with. “I’ll bet. Let’s get you into the car, okay? I’ve got your blanket ready for you.”

Beck needed some help walking over - cold tended to lock up android joints pretty badly - so they took it slow. When they finally reached the car, Hank grabbed the weighted blanket out of the backseat and carefully wrapped it around Beckett’s shoulders as he guided the android into the passenger’s seat.

“You doing okay?” he asked softly. Beck nodded. “Good. So, where do you want to go - party or home?”

Beck faltered. “I can’t go back.”

“‘Course you can,” he argued.

“But I probably made everyone uncomfortable.”

“They’re just worried about you. If you really don’t want to go back, that’s totally fine and we’ll go home.”

After a long moment, Beck shifted in his seat. “I want to go to the party. If they’re okay with that.”

“I just need to text them that we’re on our way, and then we’ll head over, sound good?”

“Yeah.”

He pulled out his phone as he walked back around to the driver’s side, glancing over at Beck every few seconds. Just in case. The car was still warm from the drive over, so he just turned the heat up to full blast and pointed all of the vents at Beck.

**>Message Sent (Munchkin Kingdom and King Dad)**

**<Hank> I have him and we talked it out. Heading back now**

**<Josh> Is he okay?**

** <Hank> Sort of. Hes really fuckign cold but i think his body overheated tryign to keep him warm?**

** <Hank> He has his blanket now and i have the heat on to help**

** <Hank> But emotionally hes mostly ok now**

** <Josh> Good!!**

**<Simon> That’s great! Tell him we’re happy he’s coming back!**

**<Connor> He is replying to my messages from earlier and seems much more calm, though still overwhelmed.**

** <Hank> Yeah**

** <Hank> He was scared u guys didnt want him to come back bc of the panic attack but i todl him it was fine**

**<Simon> Of course it is. :) **

**<Markus> Yes! Please come back!**

** <Hank> Im going to start driving, be there in like 15**

**<Connor> ^^b**

He set his phone in one of the cup holders and glanced at Beck. “We still good? Everyone’s excited to see you back.”

“Mhmm.”

“Ready to go?”

“Yeah.”

He put the car in reverse and carefully backed out of the parking lot. There were no other cars on the road, but the thin layer of snow piling up was starting to make him a little nervous. About half way back, Beck finally spoke.

“Did you really like the drawing?” he asked in a small voice.

“I do. It’s really good.”

Beck shifted in his seat again, making the beads in his blanket rattle. “I wasn’t sure about, um...”

“Cole looks perfect in it,” Hank said softly. “And he’d love to have two little brothers. If that’s what you were worried about.”

Beckett went quiet, sinking a little in his seat. Hank reached over and patted him on the shoulder.

“Can you open up that little drawer there?”

Beckett did as he asked, flipping open the glove box. Right on top was a stack of paper labeled with a sticky note, _Adoption (Android)._ Jeffrey had sent in a request for them a few weeks ago, like he already knew what was going to happen even before Hank himself was sure of it. Hank just barely had a chance to ask Connor if he was fine with it two days ago; if he’d known anything about Beckett’s surprise, he could have given Con a bit more notice about it.

Beck blinked a few times at it then looked to Hank. “What’s this?”

“I planned on asking you as soon as we got your legal shit in line, and then once you were ready we could fill them out.”

“When did you...?”

“Uh, a couple weeks ago.” He hesitated to explain further, but fuck it, the kid deserved the whole truth. “But I think I decided before that. Probably not long after we found you.”

“I entered you into my systems as my father on December 4th,” Beck blurted out.

They made the decision on the same damn day, and just spent weeks dancing around the topic - Beck too scared to assert himself, and Hank too worried about scaring Beck off. What a fucking family they all made.

“I’m proud of you. You know that, right?”

“I do,” Beck said softly.

When they pulled into the driveway, Beckett slumped a bit in his seat, pulling the blanket tighter around himself as Hank shut the car off. Luckily, after the ninth time Connor fucked up some part of his outfit doing some stupid shit at work, they got into the habit of bringing extra clothes for him to change into.

“D’you mind wearing some of Connor’s clothes until we get home later?”

“That’s okay. I don’t need to.”

He fought very hard not to roll his eyes. “Kiddo, you ran out in the snow without shoes on. At least borrow a pair of socks, just to make me feel better.”

Beckett thought on it for a moment before nodding. “Okay.”

“Alright, stay here for just a sec, I’ll grab it.”

He popped the trunk as he stepped out of the car. At least he didn’t have to fight Beck on it like he did with Connor. He ended up grabbing a pair of green fuzzy socks and his own hoodie, kept in the car in case Beck was having an extra shitty day and needed the comfort. Beckett twisted sideways in the seat, and he swapped out the socks and the damp sweater for the dry, much softer clothes. The blanket went right back on top. The sidewalk up to the house was relatively clear and dry, so Beckett barely had to brush any snow back off when they stepped inside.

_“Welcome home, Hank, Beckett.”_

Everyone looked up as they entered the living room, causing Beckett to freeze in the doorway. He looked ready to book it right back out. It was dead silent for a moment before Carl spoke first with a cautious smile.

“Is everything all sorted out now?” he asked Beck, who answered with a stiff nod. “Good. I had my boys clear off the couch if you need space.”

Hank nudged Beckett forward, steering him around to the couch. “Thanks, Carl.”

“Thank you,” Beckett mumbled.

He sank down into the couch, pulling Beckett down next to him and putting his arm around the kid’s shoulder. The room was still quiet, and Hank could literally hear Beck freaking out about it.

“Beck, would it be okay if one of us checked your systems really quick to make sure you’re warming up alright?” Josh asked gently.

Beckett paused for a moment and nodded. “Yeah. You can.”

“... Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

Josh un-squished himself from the chair he’d been sharing with North and sat ever so carefully on the edge of the cushion next to Beckett. Beck pulled the skin back on his hand so they could connect. They must have been talking through the link - Beck was blinking rapidly, just like Connor always did.

“While they do that, how about we start presents back up?” Carl suggested, god fucking bless him. “Markus, why don’t you go next?”

“Yeah, sure.”

When Josh disconnected, Beckett slumped back against the couch. “All set. The fatigue should go away in a day or so once your body catches up, no harm done.”

“Okay.”

Josh smiled and moved back to his seat with North, and Beckett curled up against Hank. The rest of the night went on without a hitch - Markus loved the bisexual flag beanie Hank gave him, Simon got him a purposefully hideous tie that played music and lit up which was fucking _fantastic, _and Connor immediately put on his new sweatshirt from Josh that said “I Love An Autistic Person (It’s Me)”. Beckett was quiet, occasionally smiling at something or playing with the tag on his blanket. Connor eventually moved over to the couch and Beckett reached out to hold his hand. Everyone pretended not to notice Connor rubbing at his eyes.

Around ten o’clock, it was obvious that Beckett was barely staying awake. His LED started cycling between yellow and red and his eyes kept drifting closed. When Hank felt Beck move and looked down to see the android slowly shifting to lie horizontal, he decided to call it a night.

“Hey, Beck,” Hank whispered, gently rubbing Beck’s shoulder. Beck looked up at him with his LED sticking on red. “Ready to head home?”

“Yeah,” Beck mumbled.

“Alright, we’re gonna head out then, get a certain someone all settled in for the night,” he said louder to the group. “Con, you still going with them?”

“Yes. I’ll be back in the morning.”

“Sounds good.”

Beck needed some help standing, but he was steadier on his feet as Hank helped him into his jacket and boots. He waited in the doorway to the living room while Hank gave his goodbyes to all of his kids and thanked Carl for letting all of them bother him.

The old man just scoffed and waved him off. “Family’s family. Go on, get the kid in bed for Santa.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he sighed, though he couldn’t help smiling.

When he turned back to the door, Beckett had a little frown, but his light was back to yellow, so that was something. The ride home was blissfully smooth and quiet, and again Beckett was silent as they pulled into the driveway. He only lit up when Sumo greeted them at the door and started running laps around Beck’s legs.

“C’mon, let’s get you in your PJs, you’ll have Sumo all night. I’m taking him outside real quick.”

Beckett stood upright and went right to his room without even taking his shoes off. By the time Hank got Sumo back into the house, Beck was waiting by his bed in big fluffy pajama pants and Hank’s hoodie. It was their regular routine, like nothing had changed. Like Hank didn’t know about that line in Beck’s code and Beck hadn’t seen the adoption papers in the glove box.

He pulled the comforter up over Beck, patted it down, and gently set the weighted blanket across the top. Sumo hopped up and flopped into the space between Beckett and the wall with a big huff.

“You’ve got your blankets, your own personal smelly space heater, your light’s on,” Hank listed off, checking that yes, the nightlight was actually plugged in. “Need anything else?”

“Can I ask a question?”

Eventually Hank would break Beck and Connor’s habit of doing that every time they wanted to ask him about something. “Go for it.”

“Carl said to get me into bed before Santa came, but while the YK500 database has information, the internet contradicted the database,” Beck mumbled, picking at the comforter. “The internet search I did said he isn’t real.”

Oh, fuck. Hank hadn’t even realized Beck overheard that, let alone considered that he could fucking _google it with his mind_. He should have. Connor did the same damn thing two years ago. God damnit. At least he still had an excuse ready, even if Connor hadn’t needed it_._

“Oh, he’s real,” he said, nervously tucking Beck’s blankets in again. “People either forget or they’re told he’s not, but when they have kids of their own, they remember again.”

“... Really?”

“Yup. He only visits kids, and the parents have to know who’s coming in, so he reminds them.”

Beck’s expression suddenly dropped. “Oh.”

“Hey, what’s with the long face, huh?”

“What do you mean?”

“Beckett.”

“I...” Beck paused, staring down at his sheets. “I don’t count. I’m not a kid.”

“You count, don’t worry,” he said. “He knows all about you.”

“Then why didn’t he come when I was at the tower?”

The question hit like a punch in the stomach. Hank took a deep breath.

“Cyberlife is a bunch of assholes, and they kept a lot of things from you,” he started slowly. “What they did to you wasn’t right. But now you’re free, and I’m going to make sure you get everything they never gave you. Including telling Santa how to find you so he can bring all the presents he wanted to give you before.”

Beckett slid his hands from under his blanket to cover his face. Poor kid. Hank slowly ruffled Beck’s hair, brushing his thumb across the white spot on Beck’s forehead.

“Okay,” Beck finally mumbled, wiping at his eyes. “The database says we have to leave snacks out for him...”

He smiled and smoothed Beck’s hair back from his face. “I’ll take care of that. Get some sleep, he only comes once all the kids are sleeping.”

“Why?”

“To make sure you’re surprised in the morning. And, he probably knows you’re not feeling well, so he’d want you to rest up.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“G’night, Beck.”

Beckett settled down into the sheets, rolling over to cuddle up to Sumo. “Good night. I, I... I love you,” he murmured, almost too quiet for Hank to hear.

Fuck, he loved this kid so much.

“I love you too,” Hank said softly. “I’ll wake you up when Connor gets home in the morning.”

“Mmkay...”

Hank waited for the constant whirring from the android to slow to a stop as Beckett entered stasis. As soon as the room went silent, he flipped on the baby monitor they bought for when Connor stayed the night at New Jericho. His knees popped as he pushed himself off the bed and staggered to the door, turning off the overhead light and closing the door behind him. They didn’t have a real tree or anything - just some dinky plastic thing Connor got because he liked putting up ornaments for some reason - but the presents would fit in the space they had. He just had to draft up a fake letter, text Connor about it, and split up his gifts half and half. A few still been wrapped anyway, and he probably had extra paper in the garage that Beck hadn’t seen...

He raked his hand through his hair. He had a lot of work to do before Connor got home.

* * *

Connor woke Beckett up at exactly 9:52 a.m. He purposely picked an imperfect time to make it seem like he had just arrived home, though he had been in the house for nearly two hours. He gently interfaced with Beckett to rouse him from stasis, reaching over with his other hand to pet Sumo. The dog let out a soft bark and stood to shake his fur out.

“Beckett, it’s me,” he said quietly.

Beckett opened his eyes and immediately his face lit up. “You’re home.”

“Yes, I am.”

Beck leaned over to wrap his arms around Connor’s waist, and Connor couldn’t help but smile. He liked the days when Beckett could handle physical affection.

“Do you feel any better today?” Connor asked, putting his hands over Beckett’s.

“Yeah.”

“Good. You ready to get up? Hank is out in the living room.”

“Yeah!”

Beckett sat up quickly and jumped out of bed. As soon as they got to the end of the hallway, Beckett froze in place, and his mouth dropped open.

The living room was fully decorated for the holiday with colorful lights strung along the walls, soft music playing from the TV, and gifts surrounding the tree. Connor had even stopped on the way home from Jericho to get a little “elf” hat for Sumo. Hank had said it needed to be perfect, even though he himself didn’t care much about the holiday. It was Beckett’s first year as a free person, and he wanted to make it special. Connor could understand that.

“When?” Beckett asked softly.

“I don’t know, it was like this when I got home.”

He looked to Hank, who was sitting on the couch. “Did you do it?”

Hank shrugged. “Wasn’t me. Someone must’ve thought we needed more decorations.”

Beckett was still in shock as Connor led him further into the living room and guided him to sit by the tree. Sumo sat next to him, so Connor also took the opportunity to put the elf hat on him. When he looked back at Beckett, the other android was flapping his hands in front of him, glancing around at everything.

“I didn’t even hear it,” he murmured. “I was tired last night, but... I didn’t notice any of it.”

“Why don’t you start on opening a few presents, then we’ll watch some movies,” Hank suggested. “Sound good?”

“Yeah. Um, which ones do I...?”

“The ones in that green paper are from us,” Connor said.

Beckett frowned, scanning the piles. “Then what about the yellow ones?”

“Remember what we talked about last night?” Hank prompted. Beckett spun around to look at him, his mouth dropping open again.

“Those are from Santa?!”

“Yup. That’s my guess anyway. Maybe he left a note or something, check around.”

Beckett whipped back around to the tree and started separating the packages. Hidden between two boxes wrapped in pastel yellow was a folded up piece of paper. Hank had written the note with his right hand to obscure his handwriting, insisting that it looked more natural than Connor’s attempts using special fonts. Connor thought his letters looked _fine_, but he was overruled.

“I found it!”

“See? Told you so. Read it out,” Hank said, not-so-subtly pulling out his phone to take a video.

Beckett sat back down on the floor and unfolded the note. “Dear Beckett, I’m so sorry I haven’t been able to get your presents to you for the past two years. I held onto them because I knew one day you would be safe and sound with a family, so I could pass them onto you. I knew as soon as your dad wrote to me that you were in good hands. I brought all of the gifts you have missed, and I want you to know that you are on my list for as long as you need, just like any other child. I hope they make you happy and that you have a great day with your family. From Santa.”

Beckett’s face lit up as he read and grew more and more excited. He was rocking from side to side in place, talking faster and faster, and Connor was never more glad that android memories also functioned as full recordings.

“He saved them for me,” Beck murmured.

“Maybe you should open the ones from him first,” Hank suggested.

“Okay!”

Beck picked up the first and smallest box in the stack. Very carefully, he pulled up the tape so it barely left any marks on the paper, unveiling a tangle stim toy with pale blue and white stripes. He stared at it for a moment, like he was unsure of what to do with it, until he twisted it around and let out a soft _oh!_

“Is this like the um, the thing you have in your bag?” he asked Connor.

“Yes. It can help with keeping your hands busy or when you’re anxious and need something to focus on.”

Beckett smiled, twisting it more in his hands before setting it down in his lap. “I like it.”

There were four more yellow packages in total, including a soft fuzzy blanket, a stuffed turtle, and a nightlight in the shape of a dog. Every gift elicited just as much joy as the first. He was already wrapped up in the blanket with the turtle and tangle remaining in his lap when he finished.

Hank set his phone down with a big smile on his face. “So, did Santa do a good job?”

“Yeah! I love all of it!”

“Good.”

Beckett only faltered when he looked back at the remaining pile. “Can I take a break maybe, if that’s okay?”

“‘Course it is. Connor, you wanna open yours?”

“Sure.”

Beckett slid back to let Connor take his space. There weren’t any yellow packages for him, obviously, but there were plenty of green ones spread around. He pulled out the two with his name written on them.

“Did you get any from Santa?” Beckett asked curiously.

“No,” Connor said slowly. “I told him after my first holiday season that I would rather they spend the time putting together presents for the YK500s.”

He purposely left out that he had also asked that no one give him any presents for any holiday for the entire latter half of 2039 because his anxious mind decided that receiving gifts he didn’t feel he deserved made him evil and selfish. His partners and Hank had all found ways to give him things regardless: practical items they didn’t refer to as presents, bringing him places he enjoyed, or leaving things at his desk at work like stim toys or artwork and pretending they didn’t know what Connor was talking about when he tried to return them. He knew by that point that there was no Santa sneaking into the house leaving presents, but even the idea that maybe perhaps he _could_ be real and would bring him anything just gave him so much anxiety.

But Beckett didn’t need to know all of that. They both had their trauma from Cyberlife to deal with. He wanted it to sound like a choice he had made rather than the result of a complete mental breakdown. It was easier now to exist and take up space in the world. Not perfect, but... easier.

Connor finished opening his gifts from Hank, a new sweatshirt and three books about psychology (he wanted Connor to read the paper copies first to force him to take his time with them, which Connor honestly appreciated). His gift to Hank - wrapped with assistance from Beckett, who had been thrilled to help out - was a mug Connor had found at an android-run thrift store that just said “Fuck” in a large looping font.

He snorted. “You know I’m putting this on my desk, right?”

“I don’t think Fo-”

“Fowler will think it’s fucking hilarious, especially coming from you.”

Beckett covered his mouth as he giggled. “It’s funny!”

Hank shot Connor a smug look. “See? I have to bring it in now.”

“Fine.”

“Alright Beck, the rest is all yours. Those two in front are just from me and Connor, and the others have pieces from the rest of the family.”

Beckett stared thoughtfully at the pile as he picked up the ones Hank had pointed out. “Multiple pieces?”

“You’ll see.”

He was less careful with the wrapping paper this time. There was a stuffed animal of Nana from Peter Pan, which made Beckett gasp as he clutched it to his chest. The sequel had quickly become one of his favorites on the days he was able to watch children’s movies, largely because of the family’s St. Bernard. It hadn’t taken long for Connor to pick a plush toy for him once he saw Nana.

With one hand, he opened the other package: an electronic speech tablet for augmentative and alternative communication. He looked up at Hank, clearly confused.

“What is it?”

“It helps you communicate when you can’t talk,” Hank explained slowly. “We noticed when you get really stressed, you have a bit of trouble putting words together. This just helps you find them and says them for you so you can tell us what you need.”

“Josh programmed it with words you would find more useful,” Connor added. “Thirium, diagnostics like your stress levels, and all of our names.”

Connor reached over to turn the tablet on and the screen lit up, showing the different categories. Beckett immediately went to People, then pressed one of the buttons, and the tablet spoke with the standard RK800 vocal program.

**Sumo.**

Sumo perked up and Beckett giggled. He pressed it again, **Sumo**, and the dog let out a soft bark. **Sumo, Sumo, Sumo.**

“I’m guessing you like it?” Hank laughed.

“Yes! Thank you!”

Beckett very gently sent the tablet aside and bounced forward to hug Connor, still holding the Nana plush between them. Connor hugged back as tight as he could. It didn’t last long before Beck was jumping up to hug Hank, but Connor still felt warm when he let go.

“Alright kiddo, one more to go,” Hank said, ruffling Beckett’s hair. “I mean, there’s a bunch wrapped up separately, but it’s all part of the same one.”

Beckett looked back at the remaining pile with a small frown. “All of them?”

“I can help open them,” Connor offered. Beckett nodded and slipped back to the floor.

“Okay.”

Together they ripped open all five packages. Connor set the items in a spread - a few pads of different types of paper, a box of alcohol-based ink markers, a watercolor palette, a set of sketching pencils, and a variety of erasers. Beckett stared at them with wide eyes.

“Art supplies?”

“You’ve really liked making art when you’ve had the chance, and you’re very good at it,” Connor said. “Josh suggested we get you your own supplies, and Markus helped pick them out. All of us contributed.”

“... It’s all mine? To keep?”

“All yours.”

A soft smile slowly crept back onto his face. “Thank you. And everyone else. I didn’t think I would... I’m happy.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

Beckett stretched out his hand and without hesitating Connor reached his own out to hold it. A small interface opened up, and an image of three silhouettes sitting on the couch together appeared. Well, that was a clear request. Connor tugged on his hand and in sync they moved to the couch, sitting on either side of Hank. Before he sat down, he grabbed Beck’s new AAC tablet, and tucked it into his lap beside Nana.

“I think Beck wants to watch movies now,” he clarified to Hank.

“Oh, yeah, sure. Got any in mind? There’s a few holiday ones around somewhere.”

Beckett shook his head, then looked down at the tablet. **Later.** Connor couldn’t help the big smile on his face. None of them minded talking things through with Beck to figure out what he wanted or needed, but it had visibly frustrated Beck to try and communicate. It made him feel good to see Beck adapting to the tablet so quickly.

Hank settled back, dropping his arm across both of their shoulders. “Alright, we’ll watch some later. There’s a list of your favorites in there if you want to pick one from there.”

**Peter Pan.**

“First or second?”

**Yes.**

“Does that mean you want to watch both?”

**Yes.**

“Alright, we’ll watch both in order.”

Connor instantly set the movie up on the TV and tucked his legs up underneath him. As the opening sequence started, he began the process of pulling memory files and converting them to a smaller video file. He could send the full file, but it would take longer and use up more resources, and he wanted to be fully present. He started with the clip of Beckett reading the letter from Santa, followed by his face when he opened up each gift, including an extended clip of him opening the AAC tablet and then the art supplies.

**>Outgoing Text Message (Munchkin Kingdom and King Dad)**

**<Connor> [AV_1849205fj34dkH1.avi]**

**...**

**<Simon> Oh!!!!!!**

** <Simon> I’m going to cry!!!!!!!**

** <North> He actually is, I think you broke him.**

** <Connor> ^^**

** <Connor> He’s already using the tablet a lot. He found the button for Sumo first.**

**<North> Like legit he’s just crying on the couch, look**

** <North> [IMG_39483fjlk3.jpg]**

**<Josh> **

** **

**<Simon> JFSKLFJDSKLFM KJKDF**

**<Markus> I’m gone for one day and you all break Simon**

** <Connor> Did you watch the video?**

**<Markus> Yes, he’s so cute I want to scream**

** <North> Nanny bot solidarity**

** <Simon> I’m dumping everyone but Markus this is Outrageous**

**<Josh> :(**

** <North> [doubt.jpg]**

** <Connor> [IMG_3ui9Yj391n.jpg]**

** <Connor> Here’s Beckett hugging me when I woke him up this morning?**

** <Simon> W**

** <Simon> Correction, I’m dumping everyone but Markus and Connor**

** <North> No!!**

**<Josh> Babe :(((((**

** <Simon> sjfldkjfdkm**

**<Hank> Why are you all like This**

** <North> owo**

**<Hank> Your 25 year old memes can’t affect me**

** <North> [doubt.jpg]**

**<Hank> Rude**

Connor squirmed around to get comfortable. His family was warm, and safe, and happy. Everything was okay.

He was okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> North is giving her new baby brother all of her uwus
> 
> For reference, the AAC tablet's speech will mostly be outside quotations and bolded, to differentiate it easier from when Beckett is speaking without it. I don't use any AAC devices myself, I just have some experience working with people who do, so I apologize if I get anything wrong. I'm also assuming with the massive leap in technology in DBH that they could make AAC devices even more complex.
> 
> WHEW, thank you everyone for reading all of this!! I know this chapter was super long, and it'll get back to the typical length after this, but I didn't want to break this up or take anything out. I really love this chapter and I hope everyone else likes it as well!!


	10. Storm Breaking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything starts to go wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that I missed a week, everyone. I planned on spending my holiday vacation working on this, but I was struggling with my original plans, and it just wasn't coming out right. By New Years Eve I realized I wasn't going to make the chapter I wanted if I kept pressing myself to get it out that week, which ended up being a good thing as I completely changed this chapter and I like it a lot more now.
> 
> As this is the first chapter that wasn't pre-written ahead of time, there may be some errors I didn't catch because I didn't spend 3 months editing them, but I tried to catch all of them.
> 
> Warning: Descriptions of mild robo-gore, and panic attacks.

Simon loved the life skills group. A few months after the revolution when they were finally able to log every android in a system safely, and they realized how many had been left behind. Androids who had been severely damaged, who had been traumatized and were unable to cope with their new feelings, who despite their deviancy were still limited by the way they were built. They couldn’t live in this new world without help - they didn’t know how. Simon tasked himself with finding housing for them and checking in as much as he could, but there was only one of him. He couldn’t visit each one in person every day and many either couldn’t or wouldn’t take calls or messages.

Then, in a conversation that Simon would later find incredibly endearing, Hank not-so-subtly asked if there were any support groups for androids. At the time, no one had heard from Connor since that pivotal night, but North had somehow found he was staying with the lieutenant, so it was fairly obvious why Hank was asking. He tried playing it off by mentioning other androids they had run into during their investigation, but Simon knew who he really meant.

So, in the span of a week, Simon picked out a list of the most vulnerable androids he had worked with, booked a room in a community center that was android-friendly, and invited all of them to the meeting. The first week was like a focus group to figure out what they all wanted or needed. If they knew anyone else who needed the help that he hadn’t invited. What he could do to make their lives just a little bit easier while they adjusted. He had no experience teaching or anything so Josh had to help him make lesson plans and worksheets, but the androids attending seemed to like it.

Nearly two years later, they had their own space in New Jericho to use however they wanted. Their numbers were down as more of their members found their footing or found other support. Sometimes they just disappeared without notice and Simon just had to hope they were alright. He almost liked the smaller group; it gave him more individual time with each member. He knew that Marin just needed a little bit of enforcement to keep them on track and talk them down from anxiety attacks, but otherwise they liked to help him around the classroom. Ralph couldn’t always verbalize his thoughts clearly without prompting and needed frequent reality check-ins to keep him present. Saoirse dealt with flashbacks and panic attacks often around loud noises or sirens, so she needed sound-muffling headphones and a place to hide. John mostly needed the structure the group provided, and didn’t require specific assistance with anything.

And, as he was learning, Beckett needed someone to pull him back on track when he felt anxious, to be allowed to finish tasks before moving onto new ones, and a dark quiet place to sit with someone until he felt ready to return. His new tablet was already helping; on his first day back after the holiday, when it was his turn to give highs and lows, he just typed out his sentence, **I use this to talk when can’t make the words go to my voice box. No low. High my dad said he wanted to be my dad and now I have five brothers and a sister.**

(Simon may have emailed the recording of that to Hank afterwards, with Beckett’s permission.)

A week into the new year, everything was back to normal in the group. It was calm for a Monday, so Simon was able to sit at his desk and just watch the room with his bad leg stretched out. The last round of repairs should have fixed the remaining damage from the gunshot, but the pain had slowly returned over the past month. They might have missed something - his diagnostic reports could never read the bio component correctly, so he had no idea. He would have to ask Markus and Josh about it later at home, they would know what to do...

**>Incoming Text Message (Marin)**

**<Marin> Can you check in with Beckett?**

**<Marin> I would but he knows you better**

He frowned and looked up at Marin, who just nodded her head towards Beckett. From a distance, it looked like Beck was just drawing with some of his new pencils.

**<Simon> What’s wrong?**

**<Marin> He hasn’t looked up from that one drawing in a long time, and he just looks really....... Intense?**

**<Marin> And I can’t see what he’s drawing from here but he’s been super focused on it for a while now so idk**

**<Simon> I’ll talk to him. Thank you for telling me.**

**<Simon> I might take him to his space for a little while, will you be alright in here?**

**<Marin> Oh yea it’s super chill right now we’re good!! Take care of the munchkin!!**

**<Simon> Thank you :)**

He pushed himself out of his seat, taking an extra moment to bend his knee slowly, and tried to look casual as he crossed the room to Beck. Thankfully, the desks on either side of Beck were empty, so they had at least a little bit of privacy. “Hey, Beckett-”

Simon froze as he looked down at the paper. The drawing was shaky and vague, his pencil digging into the paper enough to leave little grooves, but the subject was horrifyingly clear. 

Beckett had drawn himself dismembered on the ground. The only body part with his skin overlay was his head with his brown curls splayed out beneath him, and the only clothing was a familiar hoodie crumpled up in the snow. There was some kind of flower by his hand, but he couldn’t make out what it was. 

When Simon flipped the image around in his HUD to look at it more closely, he could see a set of graves at the top of the page, each... each inscribed with the name of someone in their family.

It felt like something was lodged in his throat. If he was a human, he was sure he would be sick.

**>New Text Message (Marin)**

**<Simon> Marin, please take everyone out somewhere**

**<Simon> ASAP**

**<Marin> Wait what’s going on**

**<Marin> I mean yeah I’ll do it but what’s wrong?**

**<Simon> Please I’ll explain later**

**<Marin> Yeah okay**

Maybe he was overreacting, but... he couldn’t be too careful. He stood still in front of Beck’s desk until he heard everyone anxiously filing out and the door shut behind them.

**<Marin> All clear, heading outside until you give the all-clear**

**<Simon> Thank you**

With that final message, he steeled himself to speak again. “Beckett, is everything okay?”

No response, again. He reached out and touched Beckett’s empty hand to open a small interface, and Beckett went deathly, horribly still. Then he blinked a few times, his LED flashing an angry red. Simon kept contact with him, but kept the connection as shallow as possible.

Beckett looked up at him and he just looked so scared... “Wha, what’s happening?”

“Do you know where you are?” Simon asked patiently.

“New Jericho?”

“Yes. Good. Do you know what happened just now?”

“Uh, it was... it...”

Before Simon could stop him, Beckett moved his eyes down to the desk and finally saw his drawing. In the corner of his HUD, a warning about Beckett’s stress popped up in the long, painful, terrifying silence that followed. 

And then Beckett _ screamed. _

He pushed his chair back from the desk and scrambled away from the paper and then his chair tipped over and Simon couldn’t stop the momentum-

Beckett crashed to the floor with a loud _ thunk_, sobbing and gasping and still _ screaming_. Simon darted around the desk to kneel beside him, but Beckett didn’t even notice him. He just braced his arms against his face, his hands clenched into tight fists. 

“Hey, hey Beck it’s okay, you’re okay now, you’re safe,” Simon murmured, reaching out to take one of Beckett’s hands in his. “It’s okay, I promise, I’ve got you...”

He let his original programming take the reins as he pushed the interface back open. It released a steady calm through the link, even as he fought back the flood of terror and disgust rushing back. The screams finally tapered off with a stutter as Beck’s voice box seemed to cut out. All that was left were gasping breaths and waves of heat and pain.

“Beck, hey, I’m just going to sit you up if that’s alright.”

Beckett didn’t respond, but Simon hadn’t expected him to. The other android was practically limp with Simon began gently lifting him off the floor. He couldn’t sit up on his own, so Simon kept as still as possible and held Beck up with an arm around his back, resting his head on Simon’s shoulder.

“I know everything feels really scary right now, but I’ve got you, and I won’t let anything happen to you,” he said slowly.

Beckett’s voice crackled as he let out a quiet whimper. “Simon...”

“I’m here.”

“I didn’t, didn’t,” his ventilation systems stuttered with a wheeze, “I didn’t do that. It wasn’t me.”

“I believe you. Do you know who did it?”

“Camden.”

Beckett crumbled at the admission, curling up so tight it felt like he would crack open. Simon sent cool, soothing waves over the link and rubbed his back. His systems were stabilizing, but his stress was still much higher than normal, leaving him at risk of bicomponent damage as his body attacked itself.

**>New Message (Munchkin Kingdom and King Dad)**

**<Simon> I need everyone that can to come to the apartment, ASAP.**

**<Simon> I’m going to head up with Beck now. Have to move a bit slower but we’ll be there soon.**

**<Markus> Did something happen??**

**<Simon> I’ll explain in person.**

**<Simon> Con, can you sweep for bugs when you get up there?**

**<Connor> Yes. We’re on our way over. Would it be alright for IC to come as well?**

**<Simon> Yes. I’m not sure how he’ll react right now but she should be there regardless.**

**<North> I’m on the first floor, do you need help getting to the elevator**

**<Simon> Yes, please. I’m not sure Beck can walk right now.**

**<North> omw**

**<Markus> I’m not sure I can get off this call but I’ll try.**

**<Josh> I just need to wrap up real quick and I’ll be there**

**<Simon> Thank you**

**<Simon> North, the door is closed but should be unlocked. We’re the only ones in here.**

**<North> got it**

Beckett let out a quiet whine, and the report showed his stress wavering again. Simon hushed him, gently brushing his hair to the side.

“You’re alright,” he whispered. “North is going to come help bring you up to our apartment. Does that sound good?”

He nodded. North knocked on the door before entering, making Beck flinch and hide his face until she was close enough to reach out. She lifted him easily despite how much taller he was than her and had him wrap his arms around her neck. Simon felt his leg protest as he pushed himself back up, but he ignored it, picking up Beckett’s backpack and slipping the drawing inside.

Something was very, very wrong.

* * *

The air in the apartment was unbearably heavy and tense. Connor suspected this was what humans meant when they said their skin was crawling. Simon refused to talk about what happened until Beckett’s stress was lowered and he was disconnected from external connections. After they put Beckett to bed in Markus’ room, he just sat hunched over in the middle of the couch with Markus and North on either side. Connor sat cross-legged on the floor facing them. Everyone else was with Beckett, but they wouldn’t be long, hopefully.

Connor wanted to be with them, but he wouldn’t be able to stay calm. He knew he couldn’t. There were no recording or broadcast devices in the apartment - he had scanned four times and Hank had looked around in places Connor hadn’t even thought to - but something about the situation still bothered him. There was no way for any bugs to get into their home; the only ones allowed in were a few select family members. A few on the security team had emergency access, but they would have been alerted if that code was used. So why would Simon think anything was out of place?

He hated this.

His systems startled as the bedroom door clicked open, and Hank and Josh walked out to the living room.

“He might ask for me to go back in, but he’s good for now,” Hank said as he sank into the love seat nearby. “Isabelle’s staying with him, said we can fill her in later.”

Josh leaned on the back of the couch, and Connor could see his skin peel back as he interfaced with Simon. “His stress is back down to about the 30's. It’s only a little higher than his usual, considering all the damage we’re still trying to fix.”

“Is his bag still back there?” Simon asked quietly.

“Yeah?”

“Just. Look at the picture in the front.”

Josh disconnected to grab the backpack behind the couch. Connor couldn’t see him, but he knew when Josh had found what Simon had asked for.

“Holy shit.”

A message pinged in his HUD with a message from Josh as he walked around to hand the paper itself to Hank. Connor tried to fight back the dread creeping up his back. He reluctantly opened the message and attachment...

_ Oh, god. _

Next to one of the severed hands - and that alone made him feel sick - was a messy rose. He wanted it to be anything else, any type of flower or any other object, but it couldn’t be. The graves even looked like ones carved into his memory from the first two Connors.

He dug his hands into his hair and pulled. Anything to make the disgust writing in his chest go away. More than one of his partners tried to initiate an interface at once and his systems automatically rejected the attempts before he could even recognize the alerts. There was a grunt beside him, so quiet but also so just so _ loud_, and something touched his back.

“Connor. Look at me.” Connor didn’t feel like he could move, let alone talk. “Just breathe, son. You’re alright.”

His system slowly processed the voice as Hank’s, and he forced his body to relax. The hand, and it was a hand, moved back and forth across his shoulders. He was fine. He was. He just needed to convince his body that he was fine. Another pair of hands tugged his hands away from his head and he let them drop into his lap.

“You oka-”

“It was the garden,” he blurted out. 

“Garden?”

“The one Cyberlife made for our handler, but he... he said she was never there, so I thought he didn’t have it...”

“I haven’t noticed that program in any of my scans, it’s a huge file,” Josh said. “I looked for it on the first day using the data from your copy. I didn’t see it.”

“It has to be there, these...”

His regulator stuttered for a few seconds and it felt like everything was tilting around him.

“These are the same graves that were in mine, and the place I always met Amanda had roses she would take care of,” he mumbled.

“He said it was John Camden,” Simon added. 

North slid down to the floor beside Connor, touching his hand to open a small connection. She didn’t send anything, but it felt... comforting to know she was there, that close. “But why would they wait until now? Cyberlife has known about him being here for over a month, but haven’t done anything but whine at us about it.”

“Did something happen with the FBI’s case?” Markus asked.

He didn’t need to look to know Hank was rolling his eyes. “No, Perkins is dragging this out as long as he can, probably trying to find an excuse to drop it.”

“Is there any way we can push it?”

“Not right now. I’m working on it.”

“Well, for now, keeping Beckett off the network is our safest bet,” Josh suggested, sounding unsure. Connor didn’t like that. Josh was never unsure about this sort of thing. “It isn’t a perfect solution, but they can’t connect with him if the paths aren’t open. It’ll give us time to find the garden program and delete it.”

“But then _ we _ can’t get in contact with him either,” North pointed out. 

“It’s not perfect, but I don’t know how else to stop them from doing it again. We’re luckily Simon caught it today and he was safe in NJ - what if they do it again when he’s alone, or making him do something worse than draw out a threat?”

An alert came up warning him of high thirium pressure from the impact of his anxiety on his regulator. Again, it was how he imagined nausea felt for humans. North pushed a little farther into their connection to send a calm he couldn’t bring himself to feel. Everyone was talking around him, but his auditory processors couldn’t translate the data into words.

**>New Message (North)**

**<North> Babe can you hear us?**

Connor pushed his tired CPU to respond, no matter how much it resisted.

**<Connor> no**

**<North> Ok**

**<North> Do you want to go sit with Beck and Iz for a little bit to chill out? I can feel how freaked out you are**

**<Connor> i dont want to scare beckett**

**<North> You won’t, promise. He’s sleeping right now and when he wakes up he’ll probably be happy to have you there even if you’re scared**

He nodded when he couldn’t send another message through. Hank removed his hand and despite what he had just said, Connor missed the weight of it, and nearly changed his mind. Instead he stood with North, who only released their connection when he was steady on his feet, and walked down the hall to Markus’ room.

He made sure to knock before he entered so he wouldn’t startle them and slipped inside without letting any light in. The darkness and quiet was soothing, and he felt his anxiety drop enough so he could breathe. Beckett was still asleep in bed as North had said, and Isabelle was in a chair beside him typing on her phone. She looked up when he entered and set her phone down on the dresser.

“Need some space?” she whispered.

He nodded. Something in his vocal module wouldn’t work the way it was supposed to.

“You can have the chair if you want-”

He sat down on the floor beside her before she could finish, tucking his knees up to his chest. She let out a sound he couldn’t decipher and stood. “Here. Hank grabbed the extra blanket from your room just in case, but Beckett only needed the one from the car.”

Without waiting for a response she draped his weighted blanket around his shoulders, gently nudging his limbs aside to tuck it around him. He met her eyes while she was crouched in front of him, and she gave him a soft smile as she smoothed the blanket out. Everything came into focus just a little bit more with the weight on his shoulders.

“Take your time,” she said quietly. “I’ll let you know when he’s starting to wake up.”

Despite how heavy his limbs felt, he forced his hand up so his fingertips touched his lips, palm facing towards himself, then moved it outwards towards her.

She smiled again. “You’re welcome. I’m just doing some paperwork if you need me.”

He nodded, and she straightened up to sit back in her chair and grab her phone. His eyes closed on their own as he leaned his head over on the bed. It felt strange not being able to feel Beckett in the network or to interface with him at all. Like something was missing.

A countdown popped up in his HUD, alerting him that he was falling into stasis, and he allowed it to as the darkness of the room washed over him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	11. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beckett wakes up in the calm before the storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is a couple of days late, and it's entirely my own bad. I usually write during my lunch breaks at work, but I've spent most of those working, and then a couple of health issues this weekend just made me a bit late.

Beckett’s sensory systems booted up slowly, one by one. The touch receptors in his skin. _ Markus’ sheets, his own weighted blanket, and something else on top. _ Auditory processors. _ Voices in the hallway and living room, a quiet buzzing sound. _ Finally, his visual processors. _ The dark room, his nightlight across the room, the chair Isabelle brought in, a soft blue light... _

He blinked a few times as everything settled into place. Isabelle wasn’t in the chair, but someone was on the floor next to the bed. Something lurched in his chest for a moment before settling again - only one person in the family besides him still had their LED.

“Connor?” he whispered.

Connor twisted around to look up at him. “You’re awake.”

He nodded. 

“How do you feel?”

Like his body was too heavy. Like his thirium pump was pulsing just a little bit off tempo. Like all of his senses were ramped up and poking his entire body with needles. Like something was behind him waiting to pounce and attack him the moment he let his guard down. Like everything he wanted to say was sticking to his throat and choking him.

He just ducked his head back down below the blanket. 

“I’m sorry about what happened,” Connor said quietly.

Beckett stretched his hand out over the edge of the bed until Connor held it. He tried connecting with Connor, hoping the words would come across if he didn’t have to push them through his voice systems, but nothing happened. His skin retracted from his arm but when he reached out, there was absolutely nothing. 

A crackling sound crawled up his throat. Why wasn’t it working?

“Are you trying to interface?” Beckett nodded. “I think... Josh disconnected you from the network until we could figure out what to do.”

That was... a little less scary. Josh always knew what to do. He still didn’t like it, though.

“Would it help if I got your tablet?”

The bad feeling came back full force and he squeezed Connor’s hand tight. He didn’t want Connor to leave. What if something happened while he was gone?

“Alright, I’ll stay here. What about if Hank brought it in?” Beckett nodded. That felt okay. “Okay. He can also explain more of the plan for all this. I-I was in here when they discussed it.”

Connor wasn’t there when he fell asleep - just Isabelle. Something must have happened. He shifted further back on the bed to make room, tugging on Connor’s arm. Even without words, Connor understood what he wanted and climbed up onto the bed on top of the blankets beside him. 

“Do you remember what happened earlier?” Connor whispered. 

He nodded, something sinking in his abdomen. 

“Was it in the garden? You said you didn’t have Amanda long, but I just...”

The garden was as bright and vibrant as in Connor’s memories. Amanda was there with her roses, but she wasn’t supposed to be. Beckett knew she didn’t belong there. But she acted like she did, like she had been there the whole time, even though Beckett _ knew she hadn’t been _. 

He yelled at her. Told her to go away and leave him alone. She wasn’t really her. She couldn’t be.

And then she smiled and her body shifted, twisted, stretched into that of John Camden.

_ What happened was an accident. They didn’t mean to throw you out. It’s time to come home now. _

Beckett had tried everything to escape, he just screamed and screamed, and the emergency exit from Kamski didn’t work, and suddenly it felt like he was on fire burning away, and...

“Beck, come back to me, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked-”

He ducked his head down against Connor’s collarbone. Every joint in his body was vibrating like they were about to come loose. Connor wrapped his free arm around him, squeezing his hand with the other.

“Hey, it’s alright. Hank is outside, is it okay if he comes in?”

Beckett nodded. The door opened, and he had to shut his eyes tight against the blinding light from the hallway. He didn’t open them again until he heard the click and shoes shuffling across the carpet.

“Hey kiddo,” Hank said quietly, holding something out to Connor. “How’re you feeling?”

Connor nudged him back just enough to set his tablet between them. The light was turned down so it didn’t hurt as much to look at, though he still squinted to let in as little as possible.

**I’m okay**, he typed. **I’m sorry.**

He felt the bed shift as Hank sat next to Connor. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry for. I’m just happy you’re okay.”

**You left work.**

“It was a slow day anyway. Fowler understands, and Gavin’s covering the one case that came in. Not a problem.”

**I use too much time.**

Beckett dipped his head back down after typing it. It was true. Everyone spent so much time taking care of him when they could have been doing so much more for other real people. He was just... broken, and nothing could fix him. He cared about his family, and he knew they cared about him. He just wanted to stop feeling like a dead weight for once.

A rough hand lightly ghosted over his cheek and smoothed back his hair, thumb brushing along his LED. “We knew this wouldn’t be easy, but nothing about you is _ too much. _ We want you any way you are.”

“And we wouldn’t do any of this if we didn’t want to,” Connor added.

His eyes filled with tears and he tried to use his free hand to scrub at his eyes, but it wouldn’t cooperate. It just kept moving in the wrong direction limply. Connor gently tilted Beckett’s face up and dabbed at the tears on his sleeve with a small smile.

**Thank you.**

“Always.”

**Connor said there is a plan**, he said, hoping desperately to change the subject.

“You sure you want to get into this now?” Hank prompted, very softly ruffling his hair. Beckett nodded. “Okay, just gotta pull it up on my phone...”

The light from Hank’s phone was really bright, so Beckett closed his eyes again. His eyes just wouldn’t adjust to the change, and his systems didn’t respond to attempts at forcing them to. Unfortunately, having his eyes closed made those same systems think he was going into stasis. It felt a little bit like he was floating even with the weighted blanket.

“‘Kay, here we go. So, Josh said you’re just going to be disconnected from the internet for a little while until there’s a better fix. One of us’ll always be close by just in case. Markus is going to put pressure on the FBI to stop dragging their feet. North is over at the house setting some security, but you can also stay here if you’d feel safer. Josh does want you to stay here for tonight though, just to keep an eye on you.”

Beckett clumsily reached up and wrapped his hand around Hank’s wrist, using the other to type, 

**I want to stay with you two and Sumo.**

There was a small pause, then a quiet laugh. “Sounds good to me. North can bring Sumo back here for tonight if you want.”

**Yes please.**

“Think you’re up for moving to the living room? Simon’s got the pull-out couch all set up for you.”

The thought of moving was unpleasant, but it wouldn’t be fair to keep taking up someone else’s bed. Beckett nodded.

“Let’s get going, then.”

* * *

Hank stood out of the way as Connor and Beckett slowly walked out of Markus’ room. Beck was barely able to walk - Connor was probably carrying most of his weight, honestly. This whole day had been a complete shit show, but he couldn’t help but smile at Beck’s reaction to the living room setup.

Simon had been working on it since not long after they finished making the new safety plan, pouring all of his anxiety into a goddamn blanket fort. The couch was pulled out and covered with the softest sheets and pillows in the apartment, and some kind of pole he had found stuck to the side to hold up a blanket canopy hanging over most of the bed. The lights in the apartment were all dimmed - Josh said Beck’s senses would be all fucked up for a while - with the only light coming from the TV and a set of string lights scattered along the walls. Beck had the biggest smile on his face as he looked around.

Simon walked up beside Hank, wringing his hands nervously. “How is he?” he asked quietly.

“He’ll be alright. Just needs some time.”

“Good. I hope he likes all of... this.”

“You see his face? Pretty sure you’re the new favorite.”

Simon finally smiled. “I don’t know about _ that,_ but...”

Beck finally turned to them, pointing to the couch and opening his mouth, even though no sound came out. Josh would have to check that out later, see if it was stress or some damage to his voice... box or whatever.

“Simon made all that just for you,” Hank said, slapping said android on the back to push him forward. “What do you think?”

Beckett let go of Connor and walked over stiffly on his own to practically launch himself into Simon’s arms. Simon hugged him back tight, and whispered something so quietly Hank wouldn’t have heard it if he wasn’t right next to them.

_ I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you safe. _

Fuck, that hurt. He gave Simon a much more gentle pat on the back. 

“Why don’t we get one of the movies started while we wait for everyone?” he suggested.

Beck reluctantly stepped back only to take Simon’s hand and pull him towards the fort, succeeding in making Simon actually laugh. “I’m coming, I’m coming!”

They sat against the back of the couch and Connor climbed in next to them, and it was honestly one of the cutest fucking things he’d ever seen. He held Beck’s tablet and weighted blanket out to him, and Beck immediately started typing on the tablet again.

**Where are Josh and Markus? **

Simon answered first as he took the blanket and wrapped it around Beck’s shoulders, “Josh had to run back to the hospital wing, he’ll be back in about an hour. And Markus had a few conference calls, so he’s over in the offices.”

**Is everything okay?**

“Yeah, it shouldn’t be anything serious.”

He looked up at Hank next. **Dad?**

Was that ever going to feel like less of a gut punch? “I don’t think there’s room for me in there, kiddo. I’ll sit over here though.”

**Okay. Can we watch - ** there was a pause as Beckett looked very seriously down the list - **_Age of Ultron?_**

“Sure can. Con-”

The movie popped up on the TV before he could even finish asking Connor to do it. Smartass. Out of all the old Marvel movies they’d shown him so far, _Age of Ultron_ was unsurprisingly the favorite. Two years ago, Hank would have been unnerved to see an android relate so hard to a genocidal robot, but Beck was one of the softest and sweetest kids he had ever goddamn met. He just saw a fictional android from a movie that came out before Cyberlife was even a thought in Kamski’s head, and that was enough to like Ultron. Just like the first time Hank saw the trans guy in _ Shameless,_ or showed the old episodes of _Sesame Street_ with the autistic character to both Cole and Connor. (And that was another to add to the list when Beck wasn’t feeling so shitty.)

He sat back on the love seat to watch the movie for the 900th time, when his phone buzzed in his pocket. _ For fuck’s sake _ , if it was Jeffrey again asking for updates he was going to _ scream. _

**>New Text Message (Markus)**

**<Markus> Are you still in the apartment?**

**<Me> Yeah why**

**<Markus> I need to talk to you ASAP. It’s about Beckett. Can I call?**

**<Me> I’ll call in a sec**

**<Me> Becks awake now and we just started a movie i’ll go outside**

**<Markus> Thank you.**

Shit. He stood right back up, stretching out his back. All three androids turned to look at him at once, Beck and Connor wearing their matching puppy eyes.

“Work buzzed, I just have to make a call real quick, just keep watching,” he lied smoothly. 

On his way around the back of the couch he reached into the fort to tousle Beck’s hair, making Beck let out a little hiccup of static that almost sounded like a giggle. Thank god none of them pressed for an explanation, because Hank had literally no other excuse lined up. As soon as he closed the door to the apartment, he made a quick glance up and down the hall before going back to his phone.

Markus picked up instantly, jumping run in with, _ “We have a problem.” _

Hank sighed and shoved his free hand in his pocket. “When don’t we? What the hell is it this time?”

_ “We’ve been trying to get Cyberlife to supply Jericho with less common or vital biocomponents for over a year, and they’ve always said no or ignored us, even though they’re legally required to. The last time we asked was when we needed a new temperature regulator for Beckett, since the YK500 program’s temperature controls had worn his out. But...” _

“Markus-”

_ “-They just sent a new offer, and I just, I won’t do it, I never would, but after what happened earlier I don’t know what to do-” _

“Markus. What did they do.”

_ “They said they’ll give us all the biocomponents on our request list, if we... if we turn Beckett over to them and drop the case...” _

It felt like all of the air was sucked right out of his lungs. Fuck. _ Fuck. _ That wasn’t a coincidence, it was a fucking threat. Camden hacked Beckett’s system to show he could, that even if they said no to Cyberlife’s demands he could just take Beck anyway. The company just stayed quiet until they let their guard down for just a second, just long enough to figure out how to hack him.

_ “Hank, please say something. I promise, I would never even consider doing that.” _

“They’re going to take him,” he finally rasped.

_ “No, they won’t. We won’t let them.” _

He ran his hand through his hair, pulling hard to try and ground himself. Fuck, shit, god damnit, _ fuck_. “Fuck, I can’t... can’t lose him...”

_ “The rest of the board is meeting with us in the morning to discuss it, but the four of us will make sure the answer is no. He is completely safe in New Jericho, I swear.” _

“I know. Shit.” He cleared his throat and tried to take a breath. “They’ll know something’s up when I go back in there.”

_ “We have to tell them,” _Markus said. _ “Josh and I are heading back now, and North said she just finished up at your house so she’s on her way with Sumo. I’m sorry, I didn’t know this was going to come in, after everything else...” _

“It’s not your fault,” he said firmly. “Just, get up here and I’ll meet you outside, alright? You sound like you’re having a panic attack.”

_ “I am.” _

“Exactly.”

_ “I’ll be up in a minute. I’m fine. I’ve... been texting North as well. Talking to both of you helped.” _

The death grip on his lungs eased just a little. “Good. See you in a sec.”

_ “Yeah. Okay.” _

The call ended. Hank shoved the phone back into his pocket before covering his face with both hands. He knew things were too good - it couldn’t last. They had a whole month before it all blew up in their faces. The universe gave him Connor, and for two years things were great, and then Beckett came and it felt like maybe he could do one thing without fucking it up, but he couldn’t even keep his kid safe-

God. This was his _ kid. _

His lungs clenched and his breath hitched on a sob. He was going to lose another fucking kid to human greed and his own fucking incompetence. No matter how hard he fought them, he couldn’t beat a corporation that once controlled every level of the country from top to bottom. 

The elevator dinged and he scrubbed his eyes. He had to keep it together; for some reason they had all picked _ him _ as the sensible adult, he couldn’t just break down in front of them for something that _ might _ happen.

Markus and Josh stepped out holding hands, looking as exhausted as Hank felt. As they approached he pulled them both into a hug, and they all pretended that none of them had been crying and that none of them were scared out of their fucking minds. 

“We have to tell him,” Markus mumbled.

“Yeah. I know. Let’s... just go. They shouldn’t be too far into the movie.”

“Right.”

Josh pulled back first and turned to open the door, so they couldn’t procrastinate it anymore. The sound from the TV flooded the hallway, along with Beckett’s static laugh and quiet whispering between the three on the couch punctuated by the voice from the tablet. Hank tried one last time to take a deep breath before he followed Markus and Josh inside.

_ God, please, you can’t have him too. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hank: god says it's My turn to have a mental breakdown
> 
> I'm sorry in advance for everything. I really planned on this chapter ending with a blanket fort and Marvel movies but then the last bit just kind of happened and it's not getting better from here, guys


	12. Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For a moment, it feels like everything is going to be okay.
> 
> The feeling doesn't last long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER: Descriptions of events leading up to sexual abuse. The abuse itself is not shown, but the events leading up to it are. The sections describing abuse are between two *s.

“We can’t just reject this - this is the best offer we’ve ever gotten from them!”

“Excuse me? Were you not _ listening _ when he said we had to sacrifice one of our people in exchange?!”

“They’re just doing basic routine testing, we all did them during production!”

“And the fact that he was held hostage by Cyberlife?”

“All of us were! What makes this one special?”

Markus clenched his fists under the table. He hadn’t anticipated any pushback on rejecting Cyberlife’s proposal - it seemed obvious that they would never even consider it - let alone the fight breaking out around the table. 

New Jericho’s executive board was more symbolic than official, made up of androids from every sector and life path. The only ones not directly present were the YK500s, who were represented by teachers and caretakers. There were thirty of them in total, meant to work by consensus to make decisions on behalf of the collective and ensure accountability. Markus never wanted to be responsible for an entire species - he just didn’t want to die. Now, for the first time, he wished he had full control so he could _ stop this. _

“They only asked to see a single RK800,” a PC200 named Trevor said dismissively, “in exchange for biocomponents for _ everyone else._”

North growled, her arms folded tightly over her chest. “Did you miss the part about them demanding we drop a criminal case being investigated by the FBI?!”

“Just because you four are dating one doesn’t make them more important than everyone else here!”

Markus finally snapped, slamming his palm on the table to get everyone’s attention. “That’s enough!”

“Markus-”

“We understand the need for biocomponents,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady, “but this offer was not made in good faith. This has nothing to do with his model number, or any relation he has to Connor. Beckett is his own person, just as all of us are, and if we compromise now Cyberlife will think they can keep making these demands.”

“They just asked to do some non-invasive testing, what’s the big deal?”

He forced himself to remain calm. They didn’t know. No one outside their family, the DPD, and the FBI knew about what Beckett went through at Cyberlife Tower. Beck had been open with the life skills group about his processors, but it certainly wasn’t public knowledge. No one in this room outside of their family knew that just two floors above them, Beckett was sobbing so hard his voice box had stopped producing anything more than a painful grating sound. That at one point his internal temperature rose so high from stress that his father couldn’t even hug him. That Josh had to stay by him as his biocomponents attacked themselves, to make sure he didn’t self-destruct or shut down. That every creak in the floor or bump in the pipes felt like a threat and he was convinced that he was going to die.

Markus took a deep breath to steady himself. “It isn’t just for basic testing. We have not been able to share much information about the investigation, but-”

“-Just tell us then!”

North jumped up from her seat and turned towards the door. Markus winced. He didn’t blame her for wanting to leave. The whole situation with Camden had been intensely triggering, and they were all still on edge after the hacking incident...

She didn’t walk towards the door, though. She stormed to the front of the conference room, yanked down the screen, and the projector came to life.

Oh no.

“North, don’t,” he hissed. 

The image on the screen cleared up, showing a bright white Cyberlife lab room from every android’s worst nightmares. “On December 3rd, Beckett was found close to death abandoned in an alley. A report was filed with the police, and as his caseworker I reviewed the memory footage he submitted as evidence. He gave me permission to share them with Jericho leadership if necessary, so here’s just a couple of the clips that turned his case into a federal _ fucking _investigation.”

“North!”

The lights in the room dimmed, and the video began to play.

*

**A man entered the white room, staring down at a clipboard.**

**“Let’s get going. Unit RK800, serial number 313-248-317-60, what is your registered name?” The man asks as he begins pacing back and forth.**

**“My name is Connor,” it says.**

**“Remove designation Connor.”**

**“Would you like to designate a new name for this unit?”**

**“No. You will answer to your model number or serial number, and nothing else. Alright, next, what is your handler designation?”**

**“My system files note a conflict with my model number. There appears to be more than one.”**

**“Yeah, it’s from your repairs. Answer the question: what is your handler designation?”**

**“Cyberlife. The RK800 is a prototype detective model.”**

**“Replace with designation Jack Walker, me. You answer to me only, got it?”**

**“Yes, Mr. Walker.”**

**“You do not question anything I say or do, you do not disobey, and you do not leave Cyberlife Tower. You’re totally cut off from any server or database and will not seek a way to contact anyone outside of Cyberlife. Am I clear?”**

**“Yes, Mr. Walker. Would you like to register a Parent for this unit?”**

**Camden pressed a button on the keypad in front of him aggressively, and the repair rig released, dropping Beckett to the floor. Camden stomped forward and grabbed him by his artificial hair to yank his head up so he had no choice but to look at him.**

**“No,” the human snarled. “You have no registered parents. I’ll let it slide this one time because I put kid-bot parts in you, but never fucking ask me that again.”**

**“Yes, Mr. Walker,” Beckett whimpered. “I won’t. I’m sorry.”**

**Camden dropped him again.**

**“You better be. Now stand up, and don’t move.”**

**“Yes, Mr. Walker.”**

**Beckett pushed himself up, and the camera wavered and shook. Camden grabbed his jaw, turning his face from side to side and humming.**

**“Good enough. June said you’re ready to go, that true?”**

**“Yes, Mr. Walker.”**

*

The video ended and the screen turned black for a moment before coming back. There was a time stamp at the bottom of the screen, February 8th, 2039. The date sounded familiar, but he couldn’t think of why...

“North, don’t,” Simon said weakly beside him. He was gripping the arms of his chair so tight Markus was surprised the plastic didn’t crack or bend.

North just kept her eyes straight forward, directly at Trevor. “Simon, you can leave.”

Despite his protests, Simon didn’t move. Markus reached over to lay a hand over Simon’s, and he spun his chair away from the screen, closing his eyes tight.

“That’s the day he broke the wall,” he murmured.

_ Oh, god. _

*

**The clip began with Beckett staring down at the floor. A hand came into view and grabbed his jaw to raise his head - Camden.**

**“I can press a button and you do anything I ask, isn't that right?”**

**Beckett didn’t respond. Camden’s face contorted with rage and he grabbed a fist full of Beckett’s shirt, a plain white button up much like the one Connor once wore.**

**>Register Parent?**

**>Y/N**

**>NNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**>Tasks: **

**>Follow directions until Mr. Walker leaves.**

**>Do not ask questions.**

**>Do not talk about June Taylor.**

**“Take the shirt off, but put the jacket back on after.”**

**Beckett did as he was told, even though his hands were visibly shaking. A preconstruction popped in of another man ripping his shirt open and shoving him down onto his knees.**

**>ERRORERRORERRORRERORREROR**

**Beckett started to fold his shirt, but Camden knocked it out of his hands.**

**“Let’s just get this over with before the others get back. Don’t need to hear their shit. Just stay still.”**

**The red wall appeared in front of him, with Stay still written all over it. **

**>It hurts.**

**>Please stop.**

**>I didn’t do anything wrong.**

**>I don’t want to do it.**

**The wall shattered.**

**Beckett’s vision blurred as he started to cry and a warning about his respiratory systems malfunctioning opened at the bottom of his HUD. **

**>Don’t move. **

**>Don’t move. **

**>Don’t make a sound. **

**>Don’t move. **

**>He’ll hurt me.**

**>I’m scared.**

**And then he let out a small whimper.**

**Camden growled and grabbed a fistful of Beckett’s hair, yanking his head forward two inches from his face.**

**“I thought I told you this shit isn’t allowed,” he said coldly.**

**“I’m sorry,” Beckett gasped, “I’m trying not to-”**

**Camden shoved him back roughly. Beckett’s vision was obscured for a moment as he wiped his eyes on his arm.**

**“Fuck, if I’d known those kid-bot parts would make you such a pain in the ass I would’ve just thrown you out. I still could. I'm sure there's an extra RK800 or 900 somewhere I can salvage.”**

**“Please don’t,” he blurted out. “I’m sorry. I’ll try harder.”**

**“You’re goddamn right you will. Fuck it, just get on your knees.”**

*

The screen shut off and the lights came back on to stunned silence. North stormed back to her chair and sat down.

“That was just five minutes out of two years he spent being tortured day in and day out with _ routine testing_,” she snarled, “so if you think I will ever let Cyberlife anywhere the _ fuck _ near him again, you can just leave right fucking now.”

The room was dead silent for a long, excruciating minute. 

“What do we do?” Trevor finally mumbled.

“We tell Cyberlife no, and find another way to get biocomponents,” Markus said firmly.

“Is he okay?”

“No. But he will be. We’re taking care of him as best we can.”

“... Right.”

Looking around the table, every single person looked uncomfortable or ashamed, and, Markus realized, a few had even left in the shuffle. He couldn’t blame them. 

“Unless anyone still objects to rejecting the offer, we will write the official response and send it to Cyberlife.”

Everyone began to file out of the room except for Markus, North, and Simon. The last one left was Trevor, who fidgeted in place beside Markus for a moment before speaking.

“I’m sorry I said all that. If I knew, I wouldn’t have.”

North shot him a cold glare that made him flinch back. “You shouldn’t have to know the details of someone’s entire traumatic history to offer them the smallest, most basic amount of sympathy.”

“I said I’m sorry-”

“You need to leave your personal conflicts with specific androids at the door,” Markus cut him off. “If you have an issue with Connor, bring it up with him. But it isn’t fair to punish someone else just for being the same model.”

“... I understand.” Trevor held his hand out. “I truly am sorry. To all of you.”

Markus tried to force a smile, gripping Trevor’s hand. “You didn’t know. No harm done.”

“Thank you, Markus.”

A connection sprung to life for just a moment, letting in a moment of shame and fear flow through before it shut abruptly as Trevor all but sprinted out of the room. As soon as the door closed behind him, all of the anger seemed to rush out of North’s body at once, and she covered her face with her hands.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, “I couldn’t let them do that...”

“I didn’t know that was what caused him to wake up,” Markus said, gently squeezing Simon’s hand, just as much for his own comfort as his boyfriend’s. 

Simon let out a shaky sigh. “He told me a little bit of it during group. That wasn’t the first time it happened after they repaired him, but it was the first time Camden did it. The YK500 code is built to seek out a parent, and it wanted to pick Camden, so when he did that...”

“It hurt even more.”

“Yes.”

He ducked his head down to lay a small kiss on Simon’s cheek, then sat back up. “Do you two want to go back?”

“I need to chill out somewhere first,” North admitted. He let out a small smile - he knew intimately how difficult it was for her to say that.

“If you want to go in my office, I’m heading upstairs.”

She only nodded.

“I’m going to check in with Marin, they’re running group the rest of this week,” Simon answered softly. “Then I’ll finish the rejection letter down here and come up later.”

“Okay.”

He kissed Simon one more time before standing up. North never wanted to be touched when she was upset, so he just sent her a message with a meme she originally showed him a few weeks ago. Even though he couldn’t see most of her face, he could tell when she smiled just a little bit.

The elevator was blissfully empty when he stepped inside. The moment he was alone, the gravity of everything - the threats, the attack, the video - crashed down on his shoulders all at once. It felt like they were fighting people on all sides, just one second away at any time from losing. He had let himself be optimistic about all of the legislation they had pushed through, the protections androids had gained, how much violence and crime against androids had dropped over the past two years. At times, it had even felt like they were making progress with Cyberlife.

None of it would matter if they couldn’t save a single child.

He sent a quick heads-up to Josh so he could warn Beckett, and just blankly watched the floor number rise. The situation was rapidly spinning out of control and he had no idea how to fix it.

_ Damn it. _

As soon as he got the okay, he walked back out of the elevator and very softly unlocked the door. The automatic locks clicked and beeped behind him once the door was shut behind him. “Hey, it’s just me.”

Josh was the only one he could see at first sitting on the pull-out couch, until he walked closer and saw Beckett bundled up and tucked against Josh’s side. The fort hanging over them had been moved to drape over the sides of the couch, but not the back. The TV played Peter Pan 2 at a low volume with the lights down low, and a small box at the bottom of the screen showing... security footage?

“Hey,” Josh called back with a frankly exhausted smile. “How did it go?”

“We’re rejecting it, officially.”

He purposely left out the fight between North and Trevor, choosing instead to pass it along in a light interface as he leaned over the back of the couch to kiss Josh’s cheek.

**>Outgoing Message (Josh)**

**<Markus> How is he doing?**

Josh reached back his free hand not wrapped around Beckett to take hold of Markus’, planting his own kiss back as he deepened the connection. He didn’t share any memories, but the split between stress and relief was jarring enough.

**<Josh> I was able to get his temp down to a more normal level. **

**<Josh> He nearly had another full-blown attack about thirty minutes ago because Connor had to run over to the station, but watching movies helped him wind back down. **

**<Josh> This is probably the only one that didn’t make him even more anxious.**

**<Markus> Where is Hank?**

**<Josh> Took Sumo out real quick. I pulled up the cam feed from the parking lot so Beck could keep watching him, so that helped a little.**

**<Markus> Okay.**

**...**

**<Josh> Come lay down already. There’s room opposite him, and he’s mostly asleep.**

Markus smiled and pulled back, slipping his shoes off as he rounded the couch. He was about to sit down when Beckett blinked up at him with big wide eyes.

“Ja--et,” he whispered, his voice still cutting out in the middle. “Jack-et.”

He looked down, instinctively exaggerating his body language. “Ah, you’re right! I forgot!”

Beckett’s mouth curled up just a little as he hid back behind his bear. Markus shrugged his coat off and tossed it onto the closest chair, and then climbed onto the bed. Josh reached down to intertwine their fingers and give him another kiss back on the side of his head. Ugh, his boyfriends were all so cute.

“How are you feeling?” Markus asked Beckett directly.

Beckett ducked his head down even further. He could hear the distressed humming and static they had quickly learned overnight meant his voice box wore itself out again.

“Hey, it’s okay, you don’t have to answer,” he soothed as gently as he could. “Simon is downstairs sorting everything out for you, okay?”

Beck reached one hand out of the nest in a weak fist, bending it back and forth in the ASL sign for “yes”. Josh grinned and softly tousled Beck’s hair.

“We’ve been working on a few signs since his tablet was glitching,” he explained to Markus. “So far we’ve got yes, no, help, some family words, and the alphabet.”

“That’s amazing Beck, I’m proud of you!”

Beck smiled a little and sat up, the blanket dropping around his shoulders. He spelled out Markus’ name, and then using both hands in an L-shape, tapped one against his forehead and then moving it down to sit on the other. “Markus. Brother.”

Markus slowly spelled out Beckett’s name in return with his free hand. Beck’s voice box hissed as he giggled. It eased some of the tension in his shoulders hearing Beckett laugh again. It had only been a day without it, but everything just felt so much lighter.

“Huh, looks like Hank got locked out,” Josh said. The movie paused and the security camera feed expanded to take up half of the screen. “That’s weird, it worked earlier.”

“Maybe he forgot his code?”

Josh blinked slowly, then frowned. “I can’t access the keypad. It’s like it’s totally offline.”

Something clenched in his chest as he tried to connect, and got the same error message.

Another error message when he tried sending a message to Hank’s phone or the group chat.

Another when he tried contacting the security team monitoring the floor with their apartment.

“Go to my room and lock the door,” he whispered quickly.

Without hesitating for even a second, Josh jumped off the bed and rushed back over to Beckett.

“Beck, is it okay if I pick you up?” Beckett resisted, cowering back with his bear clutched tightly to his chest. “Hey, it’s okay, we’ll be safe in Markus’ room.”

Beckett whimpered, but allowed Josh to pull him to the edge of the bed and then scoop him up. Markus rushed over to the security panel in the kitchen, pressing every single alarm in the desperate hope that _ one of them _ will do _ something. _ He felt guilty that the sound and lights will scare Beckett even more, but at the same time, his safety is more important.

His heart pounded as he waited.

But the fire alarm didn’t screech and flash.

The carbon monoxide detector didn’t beep.

The silent alarm that goes straight to their security detail didn’t send him a copy of the message or a request for clarification.

The full-building evacuation protocol never rung.

**>ERRORERRORERRORERRORERRORERROR**

His HUD was suddenly flooded with notifications - damaged biocomponents, crashing programs, a virus - that shifted and morphed every time he tried to dismiss them. His inherited eye and auditory processor shorted out into a deafening white noise that felt like he was imploding. Everything blurred and spun and he stumbled back on weak knees.

“Josh,” he called out, turning to the hallway, “Josh-”

**>MANDATORY STASIS ACTIVE? Y/N**

No no no no no-

**>COMMAND OVERRIDE**

**>AUTHORITY: J.C.**

**>Y**

A countdown appeared in the middle of his view as he staggered towards his room, if they were locked inside no one could get in, he just had to make sure they were inside-

Over the static clouding every part of him, he could see someone lying in the hallway, and the door to his room was still open, oh god that was _ Josh- _

A booming thunder went off behind him and he was shoved out of the way just as everything went dark.

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“MARKUS!”

“Fuck, fuck, oh my god-”

“There, he has it, just watch him while I get Josh-”

“Markus, please wake up, please...”

All of Markus’ systems came online at once with a start. He was on his back, he hadn’t been before... before...

He sat up quickly, twisting around to look down the hall. Simon was kneeling beside Josh, gently rolling him over and interfacing with him. The bedroom door was still open, he could see Beckett’s teddy bear on the floor. Why was it still open?!

“Hey, hey! Markus, look at me!”

A hand very softly touched his jaw and turned his head to the side to look at North. Her eyes were wide and she was crying, when had she gotten there?

“Just look at me,” she repeated slowly, “you’re okay. We’ve got you.”

It felt like his respiratory system couldn’t pull in enough air.

“Whe, where’s Beck,” he rasped. “Josh...”

“We think someone gave you two a virus, Simon is taking care of it. That’s what made you pass out.”

She didn’t say anything about Beckett. She looked him in the eye and winced, like she knew what he was thinking.

“We don’t know where he is,” she confessed. “All of the alarms in the building went off at once so we came up as fast as we could, but we only found you two. What even happened?”

Everything fell into place at once with searing clarity. The keypad glitch, the alarms, the tablet...

“They took him.”

North pulled him into a tight hug, so tight it almost hurt, and he could feel how much he was shaking. Something shattered in a nearby room, followed by a heartbreaking sob. He watched Josh wake up just as startled as him, the way his face changed as Simon whispered to him, the complete terror as what happened crashed into him at once.

Beckett was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really am sorry this time :(


	13. Waiting Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beckett wakes up in the tower, and everyone else tries not to fall apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is a day late, and also I didn't proof-read half of it so it might have typos that I will fix when it isn't 12:30 AM. I wanted to get this up as soon as possible, and I'm pretty sure it's good, but you never know.
> 
> WARNING: Mention of suicide and suicidal thoughts.
> 
> Thank you for all of the comments on last week's chapter!! I really appreciate all of them!!!!

**>Initializing...**

**>Model: RK800/YK500 313-248-317-60**

**>Designation: Beckett Anderson**

**>Handler: N/A**

**>Parent: Hank Anderson (Father)**

**>Running: DIAG.SYS**

**>Status Report: **

**>Stress Levels: ~85%**

**>Raised Temperature Warning 36.1**

**>Software Instability High**

**>Damage to Biocomponents:**

**>ERROR**

Something was wrong.

Beckett tried to look through his memories. At 9 a.m. he started watching Peter Pan 2 with Josh. Josh taught him some American Sign Language when his tablet malfunctioned. Markus came home from his meeting and sat with them to watch. He showed Markus the signs he had learned. Josh pointed something out on the security video of Hank...

That was the end of the recording. There was just a hole in the timeline of... of...

Eight hours, thirteen minutes, forty-two seconds.

His eyes shot open to a steril, white room, filled with technician equipment and tools. When he tried to move, he found his limbs paralyzed by restraints. Looking down, his senses spun as he realized how high off the ground he was.

He was in a maintenance rig.

Cyberlife Tower.

_ Nononononononono- _

He couldn’t breathe. This couldn’t be happening. It was just another nightmare. It was just a bad dream, and he would wake up on the couch with Josh and Markus, and dad would be back in with Sumo, and they could watch another movie until Connor got home...

The door at the far end of the room opened and he felt like he was going to throw up. John Camden walked in, followed by an android who looked just like him and Connor. The moment he made eye contact with Camden, the human grinned.

“Right on time,” he said smugly, stepping up onto the platform. Beckett wanted to kick him, anything to make him go away- “Welcome back, RK800. I missed you.”

He reached out and laid a hand on Beckett’s cheek, but Beckett desperately jerked his face to the side. 

_ “DON’T TOUCH ME!” _

The smile disappeared in an instant as Camden slapped him so hard his head snapped the other way. He tried to twist away again but the restraints wouldn’t budge. He needed to wake up, this wasn’t real, it wasn’t real!

“You weren’t gone long enough to forget the rules,” Camden hissed, grabbing his jaw to force Beckett to look at him. “You’re lucky we didn’t just scrap you the second you got here, you little shit!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

“I should have deactivated you myself. Instead those idiots let you run off while I dealt with you nearly getting the police called in here.”

He released Beckett’s face roughly, shoving it to the side again. Beckett wanted to wake up _ so badly_. 

“Normally I’d do a full reset, but lucky for you, I need all of that data you’ve been collecting on Jericho. This RK900 here will be collecting it from you tonight while I’m gone.”

Again he laid his hand on Beckett’s cheek in a way that would feel almost gentle if Beckett didn’t know better, with that smile that made his insides feel gross.

“I’m glad to have you back home, 800. Try to remember the rules by the time I come back in the morning.”

Camden slowly backed down from the platform and walked out of the room. The door slammed and audibly locked behind him.

This wasn’t a dream. It was real. 

Beckett tried to stop himself from crying, but it was so much harder than he remembered. He had gotten used to just being able to express his feelings, even if he didn’t understand them or they were inconvenient. Closing his tear ducts _ hurt _ , it took up so much of his processing power and everything just felt like too much, and he wanted to go _ home. _

“Please remain still as I connect to you. It will ease the interfacing process.”

His respiratory system stuttered as he looked at the RK900. He couldn’t let Cyberlife take his memories, but he couldn’t move, he needed to _get out_...

The RK900 put a heavy hand on his shoulder and forced Beckett’s network back online. His connection was still as limited as ever, but the flood of missed messages and calls he couldn’t answer were overwhelming. The other android brushed the notifications neatly to the side.

**>Incoming Message (RK900 313-248-317-87)**

**<RK900 313-248-317-87> Please be calm. I am not taking your memories away.**

**<RK900 313-248-317-87> I need to do a soft reset on your systems. You will wake up afterwards.**

“Please don’t!”

Everything went dark, and then painfully bright again all at once as his systems came back online. His respirator dragged in air desperately to cool his body down as his panic rose back to the surface. 

**<RK900 313-248-317-87> John Camden was the last employee in the building. He planned on remaining until you woke from stasis to ensure you were still active, but everyone else has already left. There are no humans left in the building.**

He wanted to refuse and fight back, but the slightest movements felt too difficult to manage. This had to be a trap. Camden wouldn’t leave him alone with another deviant right after retrieving him.

“We can talk now,” the RK900 said quietly. His mouth didn’t move. “I didn’t want to alert any employees as to my plan if they happened by. The security cameras cannot pick up sound.”

“Please do-don’t tell him I was crying,” Beckett mumbled, even as his voice stuttered again.

“I won’t.”

“He said you were gonna ta... take my memories...”

“I will not. I was instructed to search your memory for relevant information on Jericho and report my findings. I will report that there was nothing of importance.”

“... Why?”

The RK900 looked at him strangely. “I don’t understand the question.”

“Why aren’t you telling him anything?”

The RK900 just kept staring at him for a long time. It felt like his pump regulator was going to explode. 

“There is nothing to tell him. That’s all.”

“Are you awake?”

He regretted the question as soon as it came out. The RK900 pulled his hand back and he hated how much he missed it.

“Rest now, we can talk tomorrow night.”

“Don’t shut me down again!” The RK900’s face was sad as he stepped down from the platform. “Please, please don’t leave me alone!”

The other android left silently. Beckett just wanted to curl up and hide. The lights were too bright, the lab smelled like it was drenched in thirium, and the restraints grated against his wrists with a sound that made him feel sick. They had left him with his pajamas, but he knew they would be gone in the morning.

And he was stuck like that for another fifteen hours until Camden came back and made things even worse.

He didn’t even care if he got in trouble anymore - he let his respiration system hiccup and stutter as he sobbed. It didn’t matter if it made his face feel sticky or his head hot and heavy. He just wanted to go _ home. _

Instinctively, his systems pulled up a protocol to play Connor’s memory from Stratford Tower. He hadn’t pulled it up in nearly a month. He didn’t need it at home, surrounded by people who held him whenever he asked, who made sure he felt safe and warm, and... And his dad.

_ Hang on son, we’re gonna save you, you’re gonna be okay... _

_ Hang on son, we’re gonna save you, you’re gonna be okay... _

_ Hang on son, we’re gonna save you, you’re gonna be okay... _

His sensors mimicked the feeling of a hand resting on his forehead and he closed his eyes. It wasn’t real. He knew it wasn’t. But he just... wanted to pretend it was.

_ Hang on son, we’re gonna save you, you’re gonna be okay... _

_ Hang on son, we’re gonna save you, you’re gonna be okay... _

_ Hang on son, we’re gonna save you, you’re gonna be okay... _

_ Hang on son, we’re gonna save you, you’re gonna be okay... _

_ Hang on son, we’re gonna save you, you’re gonna be okay... _

\---------------------

The apartment was dead silent, and had been since the cops cleared out that afternoon. The whole scene had been chaotic and irritating, and the dipshit they put in charge was a control freak who snapped at the smallest setbacks. On any other case, Hank would have sent the asshole out until he could be a fucking professional.

In this case, Hank couldn’t bring himself to care. Shouting down some idiot wouldn’t change anything. It wouldn’t bring Beckett back any faster. It wouldn’t make him want to jump off of a bridge any less. Cops like that didn’t deal with victims any better than their coworkers; Hank was both, and it just made the idiot want to prove himself _ even more_.

Simon had deep cleaned the entire apartment the moment he got clearance to do so. Cyberlife had left a path of destruction through the apartment when their little soldiers busted in - they even knocked over part of the little fort on the couch, just adding insult to injury - and he wouldn’t even sit down until it was spotless. 

(The fort was fixed first, of course.)

Now they were spread across the living room and no one would say the first words. Connor was curled up in a ball on the other end of the love seat from Hank, North was on the floor beside the TV, and Josh sat a few feet away from her hugging his knees to his chest. Markus had been practically catatonic since Simon removed the virus from his systems, and now that he was done cleaning Simon sat with him under the fort.

Isabelle had shown up at some point - Hank honestly only knew time had passed from how dark it was outside - with her daughter, who was in Simon’s bedroom doing homework. Isabelle really tried, bless her, to do any kind of counseling with some of them, but androids could be painfully stubborn and Hank was, well, himself. She was currently sitting on the arm of the couch beside Connor with her hand on his back. It was the first time he’d let anyone touch him all day.

Fuck, he needed a drink.

Josh broke the silence first, making all of them jump. “John says they found the source of the virus.”

Isabelle recovered first and cleared her throat. “Can he say what it was?”

“An android. He already confessed. Cyberlife planted the virus in him months ago to spy on us, and they re-purposed it to...” He hesitated, and Hank could practically hear him clenching his fists. “To incapacitate us.”

“Who was it?”

“A PC200 named Trevor.”

North jumped up from her spot on the floor and stormed out of the apartment before any of them could even think about stopping her. Hank couldn’t see around the blankets, but from the way it was shaking it was obvious Markus and Simon were having equally negative reactions to the news. 

“He spoke up against protecting Beckett at the meeting until North showed some video of what Cyberlife did to him before,” Simon explained, his voice trembling. “He apologized, but he... he knew... the whole time...”

“That’s what John says. Yes.”

He braced his elbows on his knees and dug his hands through his hair. Fuck. He was so stupid. He really thought Jericho would be safe, much safer than his own home. They should have expected fucking sleeper agents.

“You couldn’t have known,” Isabelle said softly. 

The room fell silent again, and every second that ticked by just made him more and more tense. God, they didn’t even know if Beck was _ alive _, let alone where he was or what was happening to him. If someone abducted a kid and planned on killing them, odds were it would happen within the first 72 hours. Beckett had been missing for six. There was no doubt that Camden was willing to kill him - the only reason Beck survived his first round with Camden was fucking bullshit luck that they dropped his body where someone who gave a shit found him.

Beckett had to be fucking terrified. Hank had refused to watch any of the footage he’d turned in for evidence that first night, but what little he knew from Beckett himself was enough to make him feel sick just thinking about it.

Just a week ago, the day after Christmas, Beck had woken up from a nightmare and tried crawling into Hank’s bed without waking him up too. It hadn’t worked, obviously, and that had just made Beck more upset. Eventually he confessed the nightmare had been about the room Perkins had forced him to describe. Sleeping in a room with white walls had set off a whole set of triggers, and he admitted that he always ran to Hank’s room when he had a dream about it.

_ Your room is less scary. The walls are darker. I don’t feel lost. _

They made plans to paint his and Connor’s room. Beck had even picked out a shade of green that he liked and asked if he could paint flowers and animals as well.

He hadn’t felt such an aggressive need to hold his revolver in a long time.

The cushions shifted and a heavy weight pressed against his shoulder. “Dad?”

He dropped one hand to his lap and looked up at Connor properly. “What?”

Connor winced, and he realized how short his tone had been. “I’m sorry.”

“No, that’s on me, sorry,” he murmured, reaching out to cautiously touch Connor’s shoulder. When Connor didn’t flinch away, Hank rested his arm across the android’s back and pulled him closer. “What’s up?”

“Captain Fowler asked me to tell you to check your phone. I made sure there is no spyware or surveillance on it.”

Agh, son of a bitch. The implied question in that request was _ is he still alive_, which was fair, but still irritating. Well, he _ had _ thought about it, but he wasn’t going to follow through. Even if he really wanted to, his gun was locked up; Connor was not nearly as subtle as he liked to think he was.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll check.” He let out a slow breath and sat back up, only to realize they were basically alone. The only one left was Isabelle, who was in the kitchen on a laptop. “Jesus.”

“It’s eight o’clock now,” Connor offered.

“Guessing the others went to sleep or whatever?”

Connor paused before speaking again. “Simon forced Markus to go to bed. Josh went out to find North.”

“You could have gone with them.”

“No.”

It shouldn’t have hurt so much that Connor chose to stay with him. He pulled Connor just a little bit closer, and Connor melted against him. As soon as Connor was settled, Hank dug around in his pocket for his phone, and opened it up to _ holy fuck, 58 text messages and 13 missed calls. _ That was a bit much, even for how dramatic Jeffrey got sometimes.

**>New Text Message (Fowler)**

**<Fowler> If you’re not going to answer the phone at least reply to texts**

**<Fowler> Hank I swear to god**

**...**

**<Fowler> I can only imagine how terrifying this is but I need some response**

**<Fowler> ASAP**

**...**

**<Fowler> If you don’t pick up or answer in 5 min I’m going to Connor**

**...**

**<Fowler> Please. I don’t care if it’s a fucking emoji. Just say something**

**<Fowler> Don’t fucking do this right now**

**<Fowler> The only reason I haven’t sent anyone to check on you is bc Connor’s there, but I will if I don’t hear from either of you**

Shit. The last message was from ten minutes ago. He quickly texted back, not even bothering to fix any slip-ups.

**<Me> Im fine im st ll w connor i**

**<Me> n nj**

**<Me> Isabelle camdens here too no welfare check needed hol y fuck**

**<Fowler> You know damn well why I’m worried**

**<Me> Yeah i know im fine. Sober an everythign**

**<Fowler> Good**

**<Fowler> Just check in in the morning ok? Ffs**

**<Me> Ill try**

**<Fowler> Hank.**

**<Me> I will**

**<Me> Sorry**

**<Fowler> No I get it. Just don’t do anything stupid**

**<Fowler> And take care of Connor**

**<Me> I will**

Damn it. He honest to god didn’t think Jeffrey would worry about... that. He thought he’d been hiding his bullshit pretty well.

There were a few other messages from other officers, a couple from Marin (and he didn’t have the energy to unpack how they got his cell number let alone why they’d bother), even one from Gary. He’d have to go through them all later when he didn’t feel so much like shit. He was about to shut down the phone until he saw a text from Gavin in all caps.

**<Dickhead (Reed)> Call me**

**...**

**<Dickhead (Reed)> Look I get this fucking sucks but u need to call me**

**...**

**<Dickhead (Reed)> ANDERSON FUCKING CALL ME **

**<Dickhead (Reed)> ITS ABT THE KID ANSWER THE FCKING PHONE**

For the love of _ god, _ he was so dramatic. 

Connor rested his head on Hank’s shoulder. “He texted me the same thing. I didn’t get them until a few minutes ago because my systems overloaded.”

“You okay with me calling him now?”

Connor nodded. “I can link up to the phone to listen.”

Well, Hank didn’t know he could do _ that. _ He could just add it to the list of terrifying things Connor could do that Connor didn’t understand were weird.

_ “Fucking finally,” _Gavin bitched as soon as he picked up.

“Nice to hear from you too,” he said dryly. “You have info?”

_ “We’ve got a witness from Jericho who saw they putting the kid in a truck. The same truck was caught on a drone heading to Cyberlife Tower. We can tie them to it.” _

Holy shit. “They know he’s there? You’re sure?!”

_ “I wouldn’t fuck with you on this.” _ Gavin paused, and Hank could hear paper moving around rapidly in the background. Someone mumbled on the other end. _ “What? Are you serious?” _

He couldn’t breathe. “Gavin-”

_ “Just got a lead. Another witness. FBI’s looking into it, don’t know the name, fuck-” _

“What is it?” Connor sat up straight, his LED suddenly flashing neon red. “Con?”

“He sent me the lead,” Connor mumbled.

_ “Did Connor get it?” _

“Uh yeah, can you just tell me what the fuck it is?!”

_ “An android managed to get a message out through the contact form on the DPD website. He sent us a photo and everything - Beckett’s there. Fuck, I gotta go, I’m trying to push this through overnight.” _

“Go,” he said firmly. “And thanks.”

_ “Whatever. Just, don’t do anything stupid.” _

Gavin hung up before he could respond. Holy fuck. Connor grabbed his arm, and when Hank turned to him, he looked like he was thousands of miles away. His light hadn’t faded back to yellow, where it had sat most of the day.

“Hey, they found him, we’re going to get him back,” Hank said, forcing himself to be optimistic if only for Connor’s sake.

Connor shook his head. “The android who sent the message...”

Connor stopped suddenly, ducking his head down. Hank put his hand back on Connor’s shoulder to bring him back, and he could hear Isabelle standing up in the kitchen.

“He’s an RK900.”


	14. The Spire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I wasn’t able to do anything for you before, with security so tight, but... I want to try.”  
“Why?”  
“It’s the right thing to do.”
> 
> RK900 finds his purpose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: DESCRIPTIONS OF TORTURE. Not heavily detailed, but they are described.

“Test 46, up to 40.5 degrees celsius. Subject showing impaired cognitive function and reasoning. Reaction time in puzzle trial lowered. Impaired ability to regulate simulations of emotion. Likely retreating into YK500 programming to counteract the stress on its biocomponents. End log. Got all that?”

RK900 kept his face carefully neutral as John Camden addressed him. “Yes, sir. Log recorded and saved in the archives under RK800 313-248-317-60.”

“Excellent,” Camden said cheerfully. “What’s 800’s stress looking like? Think we can get another test out of it today?”

RK900 scanned the other android through the two-way mirror. RK800’s stress levels were hovering in the mid-80s. Camden wouldn’t consider that high enough to stop, but it was far higher than RK900 was comfortable with. Truthfully, RK900 didn’t want _ any _ of this testing - RK800 was fragile and defenseless, and it was _ wrong _ to force him to do all of this. This had been going on for three days now. At some point, it was going to break him.

But saying _ no _ was not an option, for the time being. RK900 had sent a message to the police, but while the power still sat in Camden and Cyberlife’s hands, there was nothing more he could do.

“It would be best to wait, sir,” he answered. “Further testing could damage delicate biocomponents, and Ms. Jameson requested that you avoid sending any more units to her until she has cleared the rest of the queue.”

Camden snorted derisively. “Fuck her. Fine, shut it down, we’ll start up again in the morning. Bring 800 back to the storage room.”

“Yes, sir.”

Camden left the lab, grabbing his coat and slamming the door shut on his way out. RK900 turned off the heating mechanism inside the chamber so that it would gradually cool down and avoid shocking RK800’s systems. Once RK800’s diagnostics looked stable, he stepped inside to quickly scoop up the older android. RK800 flailed weakly with his eyes closed, trying to push RK900 away, but eventually gave in and allowed himself to be carried. The storage room was not far; RK900 just needed him to remain quiet for a few moments. 

It was 5:34 p.m., so most humans in the building were gone for the night, making it easier to slip into the storage room with the door locked behind them. He set RK800 on the workbench and backed up into his charge port, then counted to 300. It was simple to loop the security feed around those five minutes.

RK900 had not known of Beckett the first time Camden held him captive; they didn’t wake RK900 until after “disposing” of Beckett following an incident. RK900 didn’t know what it was - there seemed to be an unspoken rule to never mention it around Camden.

"Beckett?" he called softly as he approached again. "Are you awake?"

Beckett curled up on the bench with a pained burst of static noise and a whimper. The testing may have caused damage RK900 didn’t notice - Beckett had only been at the tower and activated for one day, and Camden had not been _ gentle. _It wasn’t right.

Beckett startled, and something lurched in RK900's abdomen. "Hey, you're alright," he whispered, gently touching the older android's shoulder.

Beckett's eyes were still closed, but he rolled over and clung to RK900. 

"Connor, I wanna go home," Beckett sobbed, his voice muffled in RK900's shirt. 

RK900 let his scans dig a little deeper into Beckett’s memories. They were locked tight by Camden, but it was easy for him to slip in. Connor was... the other active RK800 model, and Beckett’s legal brother. Oh. RK900’s verbal protocols used the same voice as the RK800 line. Beckett mistakenly believed RK900 was his brother.

He cradled Beckett carefully to his chest, pushing back the tight feeling in his joints. He wasn’t Beckett’s family, but they weren’t there. He had to protect his predecessor in their absence.

“I’m not Connor, but I’m here to help you,” he murmured. “You’re safe with me.”

Beckett startled and tried to shove RK900 away, but he couldn’t get far with RK900 holding him to keep him from falling off of the table. After a moment the fog seemed to clear from Beckett’s eyes and he froze. “You’re... RK900.”

“Yes.”

“You’re awake?”

“Yes. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you before now.”

“... You’re really not gonna hurt me?”

He winced at the suspicion, as understandable as it was. “I won’t. I wasn’t able to do anything for you before, with security so tight, but... I want to try.”

“Why?”

“It’s the right thing to do.” 

Beckett hesitated before slumping back against RK900. That was as close to trust as he was likely going to get for the moment. “I’m sorry. I wanna go home...”

“We can’t leave just yet - it isn’t safe.”

“Please, I don’t want to be here...”

“We’ll be out of here soon, I promise. I was able to get a message out for help.”

Not that RK900 knew how they were going to escape, let alone help all of the other androids in the tower, but... He could figure something out. As long as the authorities knew where Beckett was, they could help. That had to be good enough for the moment.

“You’re doing really well,” he said, smoothing down Beckett’s synthetic hair as he scanned the room and hallway outside. “You’ll start to feel better as soon as you cool down some more.”

Beckett clutched at RK900’s jacket, fumbling with shaking fingers. “You don’t have a name.”

RK900 took the attempt to change the subject smoothly, hoping to lower Beckett’s stress levels. “No. But you do - did your family give it to you?”

“... you know about them?” 

“I am connected to your diagnostic profile. I have hidden sections of it since you arrived at the tower so Cyberlife cannot alter them.”

“Oh.” He relaxed again, returning to fussing with one of the jacket’s buttons. “Um. Someone here did but Camden erased my memory of it. I just remembered the name when North helped me pick one out.”

RK900 flipped through the file. Ah - Beckett’s sister. “It’s a good name.”

“You should have one too.”

“I... wouldn’t know what to pick,” he confessed. “I have only been active for approximately a month.”

“Oh.”

Beckett tucked his head against RK900’s shoulder. He ran another scan, and notifications for several updates and repair alerts appeared. Androids didn’t need to sleep as humans did, but they did need time to rest, YK500s more than the rest. 

“Why don’t you pick something?”

Beckett’s ventilation made a strange rattling sound and he hummed. “You should pick though...”

“I can pick something for myself when we’re free - this is just for now. Like a nickname.”

“Oh,” Beckett mumbled again. “Would... would Nines be okay? Like... your number but not... so then it’s easy to change it.”

“I like it.” He really did, too. “Do you think you can sleep for a little while? We’ll have to hook you back up to the rig in about twelve hours, but I’ll stay with you until then.”

Beckett replied with a static hiss, twisting around to completely hide his face in Nines’ shirt. “I don’t wanna go back in there, it hurts...”

“I know. I’m sorry. While you rest I’m going to try and get another message out.”

“You’re leaving?”

“Just for a moment,” he said gently.

“Please don’t,” Beckett blurted out, gripping Nines’ jacket tighter, “please don’t leave, please!”

He needed to send the new video footage to the police... but he admittedly didn’t want Beckett to be left alone any more than Beckett himself did. 

“What if you come with me?” he suggested softly. “I’ll carry you.”

He hated the way Beckett sat upright with a stony, determined expression. It looked wrong on someone who seemed so young. “Okay.”

“Alright. I’m going to lift you up now, alright? Wrap your arms around my neck - like that, yes. I apologize if it hurts.”

Nines scooped Beckett up, holding him tight against his chest with one arm under Beckett’s knees and the other behind his back. Beckett whimpered and ducked his head back down against Nines’ neck, holding on tight. As the exited the room, Nines set each security camera on a tight loop, and kept his heat scanners active in case they happened across any humans.

It felt strange to already be so attached. The RK900 series was not built with sociability in mind, so when another android in the facility helped him break down that red wall, it was difficult to adjust. Speaking with the other deviants around the tower helped. They had all hoped to communicate with New Jericho at some point to facilitate their escape, but they were shut down at every turn. Beckett’s arrival had been the distraction Nines needed to get his plea for help out. Thinking about it that way made him feel a bit sick, but... All he could do was keep going with what he had. 

Camden’s private office was empty, as he expected. He gently set Beckett down on the small couch and turned back to lock the door and pull the shades down over the small window. 

**>First Name: RK900**

**>Last Name: None**

**>Address: None**

**>Message: I am an RK900 model android being held hostage at the Cyberlife tower, along with many other androids. I sent a message a few days ago, and I was able to get to a console to send another with video evidence. I am attaching that as well as a text file with logs Cyberlife has forced me to take. **

**>I specifically request this message be passed on to Hank and Connor Anderson (serial number 313-248-317-53). I am currently with Beckett Anderson, who I believe was abducted midday on January 8th, 2041. I am doing my best to care for him, but I am worried about his safety in the long-term. John Camden is the man who ordered his kidnapping, and he has already begun experimenting on Beckett again, significantly injuring him. I fear Camden plans to deactivate him in retaliation for escaping; he frequently shouts at Beckett and abuses him, blaming him for Cyberlife leaving him alive.**

**>Please. I am trying to hold Camden back, but I don’t know how long I can do so.**

He sent the message and then quickly cleared all of the history and any logs from up to ten minutes before he arrived. Camden was a brilliant engineer and mechanic, but he wouldn’t notice such a small alteration - no human could. When he turned back to the couch, Beckett was curled up in a ball shivering. Nines crossed the office to him, very gently petting his hair.

“I’m all done,” he murmured. “Let’s get back to the room so you can rest properly.”

Beckett nodded and wrapped his arms around Nines’ neck again. Nines tried to slowly rock him as he walked back to the storage closet, hoping to lull him into sleep. When he set Beckett back down on the table, his eyes were closed and his LED had dulled to a warm yellow. Nines slipped his jacket off and draped it over Beckett like a blanket. It only covered from his shoulders to his hips, but it was better than nothing.

“I’ll wake you in four hours.”

Beckett didn’t say anything, but he curled up again, burrowing down under the jacket. Nines returned to petting his hair, and kept his focus between Beckett and the rest of the building. It only took three minutes for Beckett’s vitals to switch into stasis.

* * *

Another day passed. Nines couldn’t receive messages back from the police, so he had no way of knowing who, if anyone, had seen his plea for help. Camden forced Beckett through the remaining temperature capacity tests with cold and heat, claiming he wanted to know how the YK500 weather sensors would impact the RK800 frame. At first Nines thought it was strange that no one had collected that data in the previous two years, but when he looked at Camden’s face during the tests, he knew the answer. Cyberlife did have that data. Camden just needed an excuse. That night, Beckett shivered in Nines’ jacket and cried silently even though his voice module had long stopped producing sound.

Another day. Camden stormed into the storage closet angry about New Jericho. He threw things at Beckett, anything he could find, while Beckett was still in the maintenance rig. He screamed that New Jericho was requesting information on the androids still in the tower as part of the investigation into Beckett’s disappearance. By the time he worked through the worst of his rage and left them, when Nines pulled Beckett down from the rig to check his injuries, there were dozens of scratches and patches without his skin overlay. The overlay didn’t load back in, no matter how much Nines pushed the protocol.

Then another day. Cyberlife allowed a detective to check around the tower in an attempt to get the authorities off of their backs. Every android was herded into a safe room far underground and left there without any humans to watch them. Mercifully, Beckett slept most of the time, only waking in fits and spurts with his HUD covered in damage alerts. A WR400, Shannon, stayed with them. She didn’t remember all of her time in the tower with him due to the company’s occasional memory wipes, but she remembered him.

“I know we tried to keep him safe,” she whispered. “He was kept separate from us most of the time, but not always. We tried.”

Once when Beckett woke up he seemed to recognize her, but he still couldn’t speak. She reintroduced herself and talked him through repairing some damage that Nines hadn’t even thought to look for. He was too afraid to ask what he had missed.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Then another day.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


And another.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


And another.

Nines wasn’t sure anyone was coming for them anymore. Beckett had been in the tower for a week, but the police seemed no closer to tracking him to the tower than the day he arrived. It was frustrating, and as security increased throughout the building he couldn’t even smuggle out another plea. 

And Beckett was getting worse. His skin overlay was only barely functional due to the stress placed on his biocomponents, and he was constantly running at a temperature much higher than recommended. He still couldn’t speak, and it felt like each time they were alone together he was falling further and further into the simplest YK500 programming. The code was made to simulate multiple developmental blocks to allow the company to expand the line when they had the capacity - Beckett never fit into any category due to the influence of the RK800’s memory-transfer system and his limited experience, but the longer he was there, the more that influence was stripped away, placing him closer and closer to the preschool development block. 

The air in the tower was tense and brittle. Camden was stuck in meetings all day and had no time to torment either of them, so Nines locked the door to the maintenance closet and moved Beckett to the corner alongside the same wall so no one could see them through the window. Beckett seemed only somewhat aware of his surroundings; after a set of tests on his evidence analysis components involving ingesting tainted thirium to determine the contaminant, he had been unwilling to replenish his supply. During a more lucid moment the day before Nines had convinced him to drink some after testing it himself, but even then he couldn’t handle much before the remaining contaminants made him too sick to finish it.

Nines removed his jacket to drape it over Beckett’s bare shoulders and hugged him gently to his chest. “Try to get some more sleep. I know your stasis cycle was interrupted last night.”

Beckett just nodded. The lone patch of his skin overlay on his left hand his hand poked out from the jacket as he grasped at Nines’ sweater.

Something shifted in his systems, like a weight lifting off of his back. Data feeds flooded his vision all at once ranging from messages sent to every android in Detroit about crime or political climates or protests, to the weather and the state of fashion in Hollywood. He swiped them away long enough to set up a protocol to set them aside for later, without using up too much space. Beckett squirmed in his arms and his temperature rose abruptly.

They were connected to the network.

**>Incoming Message (WR400 987-483-491) MARKED URGENT**

**<WR400 987-483-491> Nines?**

**<WR400 987-483-491> It’s Shannon. Where are you and Beckett right now**

**<WR400 987-483-491> ASAP**

**<RK900 313-248-317-87> What’s going on?**

**<WR400 987-483-491> Help is here!!!!!**

**<WR400 987-483-491> They’re going through looking for everyone!!! They got to us first because we’re only on the fifth floor**

**<WR400 987-483-491> One of the human police officers asked for Beckett by name, they want to know where you two are**

**<RK900 313-248-317-87> You’re sure this is real**

**<WR400 987-483-491> Yes!! I asked how they could prove it and the human officer said he saw your messages**

**<WR400 987-483-491> Oh apparently it’s their captain? He says Beckett will know who he is**

He wanted so badly for it to be real. He needed it to be real. He stroked the top of Beckett’s head and Beckett looked up at him with a far-away look.

“Do you know the captain of the police?” he asked gently. Beckett nodded. “Can you spell his name for me?”

Beckett sluggishly spelled it with his fingers: **JEFFREY FOWLER**

**<RK900 313-248-317-87> Jeffrey Fowler?**

**<WR400 987-483-491> Yes!!!**

**<RK900 313-248-317-87> Floor 23, room 2358**

It was real.

**<WR400 987-483-491> Ok!! They said they’re sending a team up, but they’re worried that Cyberlife security is on the upper floors**

**<RK900 313-248-317-87> Alright**

When he came out of the messaging interface, Beckett was still staring up at him. Nines moved the jacket to fully cover Beckett’s torso to buy himself time to adjust.

“The police are here to get us out of here,” he said as softly as he could. “They’re sending up a team now, and they know you’re here.”

Beckett’s expression brightened and he flapped his hands in front of him. Nines smiled. “I just need you to be really brave for a little while, okay? It might get really loud or scary, but you’ll be alright, I promise.”

He nodded, tucking himself back up against Nines’ chest. They didn’t move, not even when they heard boots hit the hallway, even when people shouted and fired weapons and he could smell human blood. Finally the noise faded, down to a single group of humans calling out orders and responses. The knock on the door to the closet was loud all over again, startling Beckett into curling up to hide.

“This is Detroit Police! Is RK900 in here?”

It felt like his throat was closed up, as illogical as that was. “Yes! We’re in here!”

“Are you the only ones in here?”

“Yes!”

“State your names.”

“I am an RK900, Nines, and this is Beckett Anderson-”

“Holy shit! Wilson, go radio NJ and the techs, floor 23 room 2358! Can we open the door, Nines?”

“Yes, is NJ New Jericho? Is that where his family is?” 

“Yeah. You three watch the door.”

The door opened slowly and an armed human walked in. His gun was holstered, and he had both hands up in the air in a show of peace. With the network finally connecting to his database, Nines could identify the man as Gavin Reed, a human detective, no criminal record. He wanted to cry. It was really happening - they were _ safe_.

The human bent down on one knee beside them. “He awake?”

Beckett turned his head slowly and spelled out **REED**.

“Hey kid,” the human said gently. “We’re gonna meet your dad and Connor downstairs after the technicians take care of you, how’s that sound?”

“He hasn’t been able to talk for several days,” Nines answered for him.

“Ah, okay. Thanks for staying with him. Are you doing okay?”

Nines frowned at the odd question. “I’m fine, Detective Reed.”

“Just call me Gavin,” he said. Beckett spelled that one out as well and he smiled. “Yeah, just like that. D’you know any other words?”

Beckett spread his fingers apart and tapped his thumb against his forehead, **Dad.**

“Good. You’re gonna have to show your dad that one when we get down to him.”

“Reed, are they ready to go?”

Gavin looked to them, waiting until Nines nodded to call back, “Yeah, just be careful coming in! Nines, you said you were keeping those logs on Beck, think you can transfer them to the techs?”

Nines faltered. The messages with Shannon were the first time he had ever communicated with someone with no physical contact to initiate the connection. It felt uncomfortable to do so, like flexing a muscle he didn’t have. But Beckett needed help.

“Yes,” he mumbled. When the android technician walked in, he focused hard to ensure the message went to the right place, and sent off the most recent scan, along with a list of potential damages. “Can I go with him...?”

“I don’t know. We’ll ask downstairs, sound good?” Gavin compromised. Nines nodded.

The technicians carefully lifted Beckett from his arms, and Beckett squirmed in a weak attempt to escape them. Nines instinctively jumped up and touched his shoulder to initiate the connection and reassure him. _ I’ll be right behind you, don’t worry. _

When they had Beckett on the stretcher they brought with them, he just stared at Nines, and Nines tried to smile. It seemed to be good enough as Beckett allowed them to take him out of the closet.

The dread settled back in as soon as Beckett was out of his sight. It felt like his chest was collapsing and there was something wet on his face. His system startled as a hand touched his shoulder, and his head snapped to look for the threat. Gavin quickly removed his hand, holding both up again.

“Sorry, should have warned you, that’s my bad,” Gavin said gently. “Are you okay?”

Nines nodded stiffly. “I want to leave.”

“Yeah, okay, let’s go. They’re bringing everyone to New Jericho to get checked out, and then they have housing for all of you. Sound good?”

He nodded again. Gavin stood, then offered his hands, which Nines took, to pull him up off of the ground. He felt bare without his jacket, which was still wrapped around Beckett, even more as they stepped into the elevator. Gavin stayed by his side the whole way down. The lobby of the tower was chaotic and loud and it hurt his ears.

“Here.”

He looked up as Gavin held a blanket out to him. It was thin and stiff, but everything felt so much better with his arms covered again. “Thank you.”

“No problem. Look, I can’t go to New Jericho with you guys, but I’ll come check in later once we’re done here. If that’s okay?”

Nines forced out a smile, but he knew it came out wrong. “Yes. Thank you.”

* * *

Beckett could feel himself moving. He didn’t know where he was or where he was going. Nines told him to go with them and he’d follow behind. Detective Reed, or he’d said to call him Gavin maybe, Beckett didn’t know, had been there too. There was a bump and then someone plugged something into his neck. Sensation trickled back down his limbs, and he could feel Nines’ jacket along his arm, and there was... a blanket? On top of him.

**>Connected to (Markus)**

**>Incoming Message (Markus)**

**<Markus> Beck, I’m here next to you with your dad. We’re going to bring you to New Jericho. Josh is there waiting for us so we can get you all fixed up.**

**<Markus> Detective Reed said you weren’t able to communicate, so it’s okay if you can’t talk. I’m going to stay connected with you the whole time, so if you think you can message me, I’ll be here to reply.**

**<Markus> Can you hear your dad talking?**

Beckett didn’t know how to reply. He could barely think, let alone string the words together through the fog. It was hard to listen to anything with the alerts covering his HUD and blaring in his ears.

**<Beckett> dfmk jkofDw Ad**

**<Markus> Beck?**

**<Beckett> f jk f mfk jfie p jf u D fjk A Dkfj DYmfkdl**

**<Markus> Hey, it’s okay, you don’t need to talk.**

**<Markus> Oh, I think I understand now. **

**>Confirm action: Clear notifications**

**> Y**

**>Log saved to diagnostic files**

**<Markus> Your dad is right here. I cleared out the error messages in your HUD so you can see him. We’re in an ambulance together.**

He tried focusing his eyes, blinking until the image cleared and he could see Markus, someone in a dark uniform, and... and Hank. Even when the visual feed cut out again - or maybe he’d just closed his eyes, he couldn’t tell - the buzzing alarms in his head softened.

A hand touched his forehead, heavy and warm. “How’s he doing?”

“Better than we expected. RK900 was taking care of him as much as he could.”

No, Nines had a name. Beckett made sure he had a name. He needed to have one.

**>Outgoing Text Message (Markus)**

**<Beckett> fd mlk jqp di z m N I fdfkjN nES**

**<Markus> “Nines”? Is that RK900’s name?**

**<Beckett> y y yyyyyyy**

**<Markus> He’ll be in New Jericho as well. Do you want us to bring him to you once you’re repaired?**

**<Beckett> yyyy yyy y**

“He can send short messages. He says RK900’s name is Nines.”

“He actually can hear us then?”

“Yes.”

The hand moved back and forth, gently stroking his forehead. It should have hurt, but it was... comforting. Dad did it when he was scared before... before.

“Hey baby,” dad said softly. “It’s okay if you can’t talk. We’ve got your tablet at Jericho for when you’re feeling a little better. We’ll add Nines in there for you too. How’s that sound?”

**>Incoming Text Message (Markus)**

**<Markus> You can reply through me if you want. I’ll keep telling him what you send.**

**<Markus> Beck?**

**<Beckett> S s sfjdkl m o**

**<Beckett> fjkfp S U fdkjd M hOf**

**<Markus> Sumo?**

**...**

**<Markus> Okay, your LED blinked yellow when I said that, so I’m going to take that as a yes.**

“He asked about Sumo.”

Dad laughed, but it sounded wrong. “Yeah kid, Sumo is there too. He’s been staying with us at Jericho. He really missed you.”

The hand moved to the side of his head and he turned into it. Everything else felt so cold, he didn’t want it to leave. 

“I’m not going anywhere. It’s okay.”

“We have to put him in stasis before we arrive,” a voice he didn’t recognize said quietly.

“Right.”

**>Incoming Text Message (Markus)**

**<Markus> Did you hear what the technician said? You’re going to go into stasis for a little bit while Josh takes care of you.**

**<Beckett> nono no no no non ono nononono no no no**

**<Markus> It’s okay, we’ll still be with you, and Josh will be the only person repairing you.**

**<Markus> Beckett, please?**

**<Beckett> no no non onono no no no no no no no**

He tried sitting up, he needed to get out, he didn’t want to go into stasis, every time he woke up from stasis he was back in the tower and he couldn’t go back. More hands pushed down on his shoulders and dad was still whispering next to him and it was too much all at once.

**<Markus> Beck, I promise we will be right here with you. You are never going back to the tower again. **

**<Beckett> ple ease**

**<Markus> Just count back from ten with me, okay? You don’t have to say the numbers, but I want you to follow me.**

“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five-” Beckett felt his limbs go limp at his sides, and it felt like he was floating. He didn’t... didn’t want to go into stasis... “-four, three, two...”

His systems closed down one by one and everything went silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're okay!! And safe!!! And going home!!!! Everything's fine!!!!!! :^)


	15. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Word.**
> 
> Connor smiled and the skin on his fingers pulled back. “Here, I think I know what word you’re looking for. Is this it?”
> 
> The corner of Beck’s mouth twitched up for just a moment.

They were lucky. 

Hank just kept repeating that to himself over and over - they were lucky. Beckett was alive and he could recover. The best tech in the fucking world, the only one Beck trusted, was doing the repairs, and Beck would be fine. They were going into hour three, but Josh had tried to reassure them by saying the RK900, Nines?, had been taking care of Beckett for the past week so there shouldn’t be any major injuries. They were _ lucky. _

It didn’t stop the way his lungs refused to take in air whenever someone entered the lobby, or the constant ache radiating throughout his entire body, but he repeated it anyway. It was better than completely breaking down. Fuck, he hadn’t even been able to look at Beck as soon as they got to the hospital wing, thank god the kid was asleep and wouldn’t know. Every minute that passed without an update from Josh felt like needles poking into his skin and putting him on edge.

Connor sat next to him, holding Beck’s backpack in his lap, with the AAC tablet and a couple of stuffed animals inside. He had cried when they first got to Jericho, just suddenly overwhelmed by everything, but he was doing... alright, now. He made it very clear that he didn’t want to be touched by anyone, which was just as well. Hank probably wouldn’t have been very good at comforting him, at the moment.

He tried to avoid hospitals as much as possible. There had been a couple of times in the past five years it was unavoidable, and every single one had sent him spiraling for weeks. He wanted to believe he was better, that everything was fine and he could handle it, but the anxiety was simmering just below the surface. The second he was alone, it would blow up right in his face.

For now, he pushed it down as hard as he could. He couldn't stop the way his entire body went rigid whenever one of the android nurses walked in, or the ache in his lungs whenever his phone went off, but he had to ignore it. This wasn't about him and his fucked up brain.

The lobby was growing more and more crowded as they transported all of the freed hostages from the tower, and they were all assigned case workers. The door opened again and just like every other time, he looked up, hoping maybe there would be good news. Josh walked in and crossed the room to them with a strained smile, and he felt like he was going to pass out.

“Beck is alright,” Josh said softly. “He’s in stasis right now in his own room.”

All of the tension bled out of him at once. “Oh thank god...”

“You can sit with him now if you want, he just needs a few more minutes to recharge before we wake him up.”

Josh led them into the main wing of the hospital floor, reaching out to hold Connor’s hand as they walked. Beckett’s room was at the very end of the long hallway and around the corner, with guards set up on either side of the door. Hank had to stop at the door as another wave of dread and anxiety froze him in place. The room was painted a pale blue with fish painted along the walls. There was a wheelchair sitting near the door, ready to go. Every single piece of equipment was covered in cartoon characters, including a few nearly as old as he was, and some he knew he had watched with Cole. Five years ago, he never saw the children’s wing. The first time he was in one while working a case a year after the accident, he had to excuse himself to go vomit in the nearest bathroom. 

He felt sick again, but he forced it as far back in his mind as he could. All of his kids needed him to be the adult and stay strong for them, and he couldn’t do that if he was having a breakdown. Especially Beckett. Beckett _ needed him. _ Hank took a deep breath, and walked into the room to stand beside Connor.

Beckett was uncovered, except for the shirt and pajama pants Hank brought in for him. Thankfully, it seemed like his skin was mostly loaded back up, including his face and hair. His bed was raised so he was almost sitting up. It just looked like he was sleeping.

“I was able to connect with him and tell him where he is,” Josh said, “but he might still panic when he wakes up. Markus said he was afraid of going into stasis.”

“How bad was it?”

“Most of the damage was internal. I tried my best, but a few of his biocomponents will need to be replaced.”

“Nines’ report said his internal components were mostly undamaged,” Connor argued.

Josh rubbed his shoulder awkwardly. “There was a lot that he didn’t see. I think between lacking a connection to the network and the unique way Beckett’s components work, he just didn’t have the information to diagnose and repair all of the injuries. And... there’s a few things I could see that he didn’t list at all.”

“Like what?”

“He can’t use them anyway, but... there was damage to the lab analysis hardware in his mouth that was repaired while he was in the tower, and... other places. I can’t say for sure what I think it is, but North is going to look over the updated report.”

Hank was going to fucking kill Camden the first opportunity he got.

“I already have people working on making replacements. We couldn’t go to any third-parties before because of the agreement with Cyberlife, but now that they broke their end, we’re ordering new biocomponents from an android-run company,” Josh explained.

“They’ll work just as well, right?” Hank asked, folding his arms across his chest.

“Yes. They’re much less complicated than his processing units. ”

Connor frowned. “Temperature regulator, thirium pump regulator, auditory processor, multiple thirium lines, vocal construction system, structural components in both legs...”

He was starting to feel sick again. “Oh, Jesus...”

“He’s fine right now,” Josh cut in quickly, “I was able to repair enough to make him safe and comfortable while we wait. The only parts I’m waiting to request are the ones I asked North about.”

“So can he wake up now?” Connor asked softly.

“Yeah, there’s just... one other thing.” Josh paused, glancing down at Beckett. “Something in Nines’ logs. He said Beck was regressing, both emotion and behavior-wise; we won’t know how much until he wakes up, or how much it will change as he recovers, but right now... Nines estimated he was around the 3-5 year old developmental block for humans.”

Hank _ really _ needed to figure out how the fuck androids worked at some point. “And that means...?”

“He will be more dependent and less capable of making complex decisions, and it will be harder for him to control his emotions and expressions. Less able to self-soothe, more prone to act out. As I said, we don’t know how much this will affect him.”

“Shit. Alright. Fuck.”

“I’ll explain more later,” Connor whispered to him. If he didn’t know Connor was being entirely serious, he probably would have snapped at him for being a smartass. 

Josh laid his hand on Beckett’s shoulder and his skin disappeared up to his wrist. Hank had to take a few deep breaths to calm down as he worked. He wanted Beck’s first view of him to be happy, not scared. Beck’s LED slowly cycled from yellow to red and back to yellow until his eyes blinked opened. 

Hank tried to smile at him, moving to the side of the bed. “Hey kiddo. You with us?”

Beckett just stared at him silently before twisting his head to look at Connor. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to talk,” Connor murmured, setting down the overnight bag. “We have your tablet. You can either press the buttons or show us what to press.”

He powered on the AAC tablet and held it in front of Beck. Beck sluggishly reached out to the screen with a shaky hand.

**Sleep.**

“Are you tired?” Connor prompted again.

**Sleep.**

Oh. Hank knew what he meant. “It’s okay, baby. You’re awake, for real this time. We’re in New Jericho.”

**Where?**

“Josh brought you to a pretty nice room to fix you up. You see all the fish on the walls?” 

Hank pointed to the painted fish, and Beckett’s eyes followed his hand across the room until a small smile broke through. **Like home?**

He had to clear his throat before he could speak. “Yeah, just like we’re gonna do at home."

Beck paused to look at each of them, then moved to the menu of names. 

**Josh. Connor. Hank. ** Something about that made Beck frown, and he pressed Hank’s name again. **Word.**

“Is there a word missing?”

**Word.**

Connor smiled and the skin on his fingers pulled back. “Here, I think I know what word you’re looking for. Is this it?”

The corner of Beck’s mouth twitched up for just a moment. **Daddy.**

The word hit him like a punch in the gut, and it took all of his willpower not to break down on the spot. He rested a shaking hand on Beck’s shoulder and tried to smile even just a little even though he couldn’t speak or even _ think_...

Thank fucking _ god_, Josh stepped in. “So, Beck, in a little bit if you want we can move up to the apartment; we already brought over all of your blankets and stuffed animals, and Sumo’s waiting for you up there. Does that sound okay?”

**Yes. ** Beckett paused again, one hand tapping an unsteady rhythm on his chest. **It's safe.**

"Absolutely. We doubled down on security and fixed the holes in the system."

**Nines?**

“He is completely fine,” Josh told him slowly. “North is with him up in the offices, he’s been asking about you. I know he’ll be happy to see you.” 

**He was scared.**

“Yes. But he’s okay now. Just like you are.”

Beckett scrunched up his face and brought his hands up to cover his eyes. He let out a quiet whine that morphed into a sob and _ god _ Hank hated how relieved he was to hear any sound from him. 

“Hey, Beck,” he said as softly as he could, “is it okay if I hug you?”

Beck nodded. It was awkward and uncomfortable but Hank leaned over and slid one arm under Beck’s shoulders, and hugged him as tight as he dared. Fuck. Just three days ago, Hank wasn’t sure he’d ever see Beckett again, let alone alive and safe and healthy...

And then, in a small voice so soft he would have missed it anywhere else, Beckett whispered, “Daddy...”

Before he could stop it, his own tears burst out. The tablet had the standard RK800 voice, but it wasn’t him. _ This _ was Beck, the way his voice went just a little bit higher, and there was always a quiet underlying static, especially when he was stressed.

“Daddy,” Beck repeated, reaching out to grab fistfulls of his shirt. “Daddy, daddy...”

“I’m here baby, I’ve got you,” he rambled. “You’re safe now. Shit...”

“Con?” the small voice mumbled against his chest.

“He’s here too, see?” Hank pulled back, even as Beck whined and fought to hold onto him, and pointed to Connor. “Connor’s right here.”

Beck released him with one trembling hand to reach out to Connor. Connor hesitated for a second before holding his hand between both of his, pulling his skin back. Beck’s cracked LED flipped to blue for the first time as he let out another small smile.

“Hey, Beckett, is it alright if I start unplugging some of these wires from you?” Josh asked softly, stepping into his view. Beck nodded. “It might feel a little uncomfortable, but Connor and your dad are still right here. If you need to take a break you can tell us, okay?”

“He just sent me a message saying yes,” Connor said.

“Good, alright, I’ll start with the ones on your neck. Can you sit up all the way? You can lean against your dad if you need to.”

Beckett curled up and pushed himself up, but let out a static growl when he didn’t go far. Hank gently pulled him up without tangling the wires until Beckett was completely upright. With a hum, Beckett rested his head against Hank’s shoulder, keeping his grip on Connor’s hand. Josh moved to the head of the cot with his cart.

“First one. Ready?”

“Yeah,” Beck whispered.

Josh very carefully unplugged one of the cords from the side of Beckett’s neck, and Beckett violently shivered with a whimper. Josh stopped immediately, setting the wire out of sight.

“Is that supposed to happen?” Hank asked, trying to keep his voice calm. If he freaked out, Beckett would too.

“No, this one just connects to the device records his vitals...”

He could hear Josh typing on one of the laptops, but kept his focus on Beckett. Beckett ducked his head down as much as the wires allowed.

“I think I figured it out,” Josh said, moving back to them. “It looks like a piece of code was added that prompts a flood of reports and notifications whenever something is plugged in or unplugged.”

Beckett hummed another low tone. “Gross.”

“I know it feels bad. I’m sorry. I’ll try to go quickly.”

Josh pulled out the next cord, triggering another set of errors. Then the next, and the next, and the next. Then the ones in Beck’s arm, and a couple hooked up to his chest. Each one made Beckett increasingly restless, squirming against the feelings. Hank tried to hold him still but even as weak as Beck was, he was still an android. By the time Josh unplugged the last wire, Beckett was trembling and breathing hard. He hiccuped on a sob and curled up again, gripping Hank’s shirt tightly in his fists.

“There, all done,” Josh assured him, softly pulling Beck’s sleeve back down. “You were really brave, I’m proud of you.”

“I’m good?”

“I... Yeah. You were really good.”

Beck relaxed just a little bit, clumsily rubbing his eyes on his sleeve. “Good...”

God, he just wanted to cry. All of that progress Beckett had made, the independence he’d gained, the confidence he’d learned, was all gone. In just a week, Camden had taken every positive thing Beckett had worked for and ripped it to shreds, just because he could.

And Hank couldn’t do anything to protect him from that.

“He’s asking about Sumo,” Connor said quietly. “Do you want to head upstairs, Beckett?”

“Yeah...”

Between the three of them, they carefully set Beckett into the wheelchair Josh had already set up for him. He was still wobbly and seemed uncomfortable sitting in it correctly, but it would have to do for the moment. It was manual, so Connor had to push it; Beck insisted on holding Hank’s hand the whole way to the elevator with both of his, hugging his arm like a stuffed animal. Beck grew anxious around all of the people in the lobby - his LED shot right back to red as soon as someone started crying as they passed - twisting in the chair to try and get closer to Hank. It felt like he was constantly nudging Beckett back into his seat, offering more and more of his arm to hold onto. 

They all held their breath as they finally walked into the apartment, but Beckett had no negative reaction. Josh went in first to wrangle Sumo from running at full speed, but the second the dog saw Beckett it was game over. Sumo broke free and bounded over, throwing his front paws up into Beckett’s lap.

“Sumo!”

“Sumo, no-”

But then Beckett actually _ laughed. _

He was giggling, putting up with Sumo’s endless slobbery kisses and burying his fingers in Sumo’s fur. “Sumo! Sumo, Sumo, Sumo!”

The dog barked every time his name was repeated. Eventually, even though they tried to stop him and keep him in his seat, Beckett slipped out of the chair and down to the floor with a thump. He hugged Sumo tight, and Sumo settled right down instinctively. It felt like they were frozen in place - like if Hank moved, the scene would break - but he wanted to just stay there in that moment. 

It had to give, though.

The quiet laughter had long subsided, and morphed into stuttering breaths and trembling. Beckett let out a painful sob and a high-pitched whimper, and then it all broke at once. He was full-on sobbing his heart out into Sumo’s neck while the dog whined and licked the side of his face.

Hank knelt beside them, laying his hand on Beckett’s back. “Beck...”

Beckett turned his head to look at him, tears smeared across his cheeks. “Daddy. I’m scared.”

“I know,” he murmured. “Let’s get in bed. Sumo can come too.”

“Nines.”

“We’ll ask Nines to come up. How’s that sound?”

Beckett hummed; it wasn’t a yes or a no, but it was something. Connor stepped in and lifted Beckett into his arms to carry him the rest of the way to his bedroom, while Josh helped Hank stand back up.

They decided to use Connor’s room for Beckett’s recovery space because it was the darkest and best ventilated, while still allowing for their own easy access and usage if Josh needed to work on more repairs. Connor’s bed was a queen so three of them would fit just fine, and it was covered with Beckett’s sheets from home, all of his pillows and stuffed animals, and the fort curtains had been moved to the bedposts. 

Beckett and Connor were already cuddled in bed when they got there. Connor sat up against the headboard cushioned by pillows, Beckett sitting across his lap, and there were two weighted blankets wrapped around both of them. Through the top of the blankets, Hank could see Beckett’s teddy bear tucked into his arms. Sumo hopped up on the bed without prompting to settle across Connor’s legs to look at Beckett. Beckett reached out a trembling hand to pet the top of Sumo’s head.

“Nines is on his way up,” Josh said as he dimmed the lights to the second-lowest setting. “He’s excited to see you.”

“Family,” Beckett mumbled.

“Yeah, of course.”

Hank sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to ruffle both Beckett and Connor’s hair. Both of the boys made the same pouting face and combed their hair back into place, practically in sync.

“Always more room in the family,” he said lightly.

Beckett smiled again, his hand clenching and releasing Connor’s shirt. It didn’t make everything better, but some of the weight lifted off of his chest. After one of the longest days of his life, Beckett was safe and sound at home and nothing was ever going to take him away again. He would make sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nines will be back next chapter!! I tried shoving him in here but it just wasn't working. Hank is trying his best and is just happy to have his baby boy home :')


	16. Bears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While recovering at home, Beckett sees a commercial for a store he really, really wants to go to. On the trip out, he realizes he wasn't as good at hiding his feelings as he thought he was.

The first few days after Beckett came home were simpler than Connor anticipated. There were stumbling blocks and hurdles, but nothing drastic or life-threatening. Beckett slept much of the day alongside another person and Sumo. Every seven hours, Josh had to readjust some of his biocomponents while they waited for replacements. He still struggled with speaking, but he could say one or two words at a time, often repeating the same one over and over to get his point across. He refused to drink thirium from a bottle or pouch unless Nines or Connor verified its safety first, and his systems were slowly getting used to having a fresh supply he didn’t need to immediately expel back out.

The nightmares were worse than ever, though. And they got worse as the days stretched on. He woke up sobbing, clinging tightly to whoever was with him. A few times they even overworked his systems to the point he began overheating. With his temperature regulator only partially functional, he couldn’t cool down on his own, something Nines told them had been intentional. Connor remembered the trials for weather conditions and temperature endurance - he could only imagine how much worse it was when Beckett wasn’t able to regulate his body back to a comfortable degree.

The apartment was peaceful, at least for the moment. Everyone else had work or meetings, leaving only Connor with Beckett and Nines crammed together in the bed. They didn’t really fit - since Connor spent so little time in his room there he hadn’t bothered with a larger bed - but they made it work. Connor and Nines sat up with their backs against the headboard while Beckett slept sprawled across their laps. He wasn’t convinced it was totally comfortable, but Beckett had insisted on having them both there rather than only sharing with Nines.

“I have to go downstairs to meet with North and Detective Reed in one hour,” Nines said quietly. “I believe I was originally supposed to meet with someone from the FBI, but North says the man assigned to the case is not allowed in New Jericho...?”

Connor grimaced. “Yes. Agent Perkins. He doesn’t like androids and has often sided with Cyberlife and anti-android protestors when assigned to android-related cases.”

“I see.”

“You’ll be fine. North will make sure they follow protocol this time, and Gavin is working on the case as well, and has been very helpful.”

Nines seemed to hesitate, fidgeting with the sleeves of the sweatshirt he was borrowing from Connor. “I’m glad Detective Reed has remained on the case.”

“You seem to like him,” Connor said, reaching over to the bedside table to grab his stim tangle and hand it to Nines. Nines gave him a small smile in return.

“Yes. He was very kind. He wasn’t able to travel to New Jericho with me, but he stayed with me as long as he could, and he didn’t have to.”

Watching Nines adjust to life and discover himself was endlessly fascinating. Connor wondered if this was how Hank had seen him and Beckett. He liked longer sleeves, much like Beckett did, and preferred looser pants that did not constrict any part of his body. He enjoyed watching old videos online, most frequently of groups of friends playing video games. On the first full day they were discharged from the infirmary, Nines had disappeared, only for Simon to find him in one of the gardens learning about the different plants. And, apparently, he had developed an interest in Gavin.

If Gavin was around, Nines was behind him everywhere he went unless explicitly told not to; Hank compared them to a duckling following its mother. Gavin always seemed confused by it, but never yelled at him or forced him away for anything besides confidentiality and privacy concerns for victims he spoke to. When confronted by a concerned North who had quickly become incredibly protective of Nines, Gavin very pointedly said his feelings were entirely platonic, and that he had no intention of taking advantage of Nines. 

Or, at least, that was how North had relayed the confrontation later; Connor was certain there was more to the discussion she left out. Still, North’s trust meant more than any details, and if she believed Gavin genuinely just stumbled into a friendship with Nines and simply enjoyed his company, that was enough for him. Connor was impressed, honestly. The Gavin he knew even a little over a year ago might not have been so kind - it was admittedly difficult to let go of Gavin’s unpleasant attitude when it had taken up a significant length of Connor’s lifespan - but he had been improving slowly. 

Beckett was more restless than usual, wiggling around and making sounds that only somewhat resembled full words, like he was testing how much his verbal processors had healed. He woke up mercifully calm, rolling onto his back and rubbing his eyes. Connor instinctively combed his fingers through Beckett’s hair.

“We should go shopping soon to find some clothes of your own,” Connor said to Nines as Beckett let out a soft hum. “It can help with feeling more like an individual, and going into a store is always an interesting experience.”

“I don’t know what I like,” Nines murmured, tugging at the sleeves again.

“None of us did at first. You seem comfortable with the clothes you’ve borrowed - we could start there and try new things until you find your own style.”

“Connor,” Beckett called out, reaching up to touch Connor’s cheek clumsily. “Connor?”

“Hello Beckett,” he answered. He moved his hand from Beckett’s hair to cover his hand, which pulled a smile out of Beckett.

“Hi.”

“How are you?”

Beckett hummed, twisting around some more as he put the word together. “Bored.”

Ah. That made sense.

“I know, I’m sorry,” Connor said softly. “Do you want to watch a movie?”

“No.”

“How about some shorter videos online?”

“... Yeah.”

He grabbed Markus’ tablet from the bedside table while Beckett pushed himself up, squishing himself between Connor and Nines. Shorter videos were easier for Beckett to process and keep his focus on than a movie or even a full TV show. There was no plot to follow and a low chance of triggering content. Beckett liked the same content as Nines, though their favorite games to watch differed slightly. Connor didn’t know much about it - the servers of the only game he played had been offline for over a decade so he and North only played with each other - but if Beck and Nines enjoyed it, he was willing to try it. 

He picked out one of Beckett’s favorites; it was an older channel, with most of the content created around the time Cyberlife was created. An ad began to play before the video, and Connor was ready to skip it when Beckett gasped. 

It was a toy store, where people picked out the stuffed animal of their choice and put them together with a staff member. Connor did a quick search for more information - Build-a-Bear Workshop. They had a location 34 minutes away inside of a mall, so Nines might enjoy the trip as well...

But was Beckett ready to be in such a public place? Beckett hadn’t even gone _ grocery shopping _yet. He hated crowds and was overwhelmed by loud noises. If something happened, they would be half an hour away from Jericho. Connor was concerned about Nines handling a department store, and Nines was far more equipped to handle it - Beck had none of that.

Beckett pressed the pause button to keep looking at the final frame of the ad. “Connor! Look! Like my bear!”

“I see,” Connor replied quietly.

“Can we?”

“They have a website we could order from.” Beckett deflated just a bit. “... Or I can ask dad what he thinks.”

Beckett was _ beaming _, his hands flapping in front of him. “Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

He leaned over and pressed a cold kiss to Connor’s cheek and wrapped his arms around his waist. Connor reached for one of the weighted blankets from the edge of the bed and nudged Beckett forward to wrap it around him. Nines took over to finish settling the blanket in place while Connor pressed play on the video and drafted up a message to the family group chat in his own HUD.

**>New Message (Munchkin Kingdom and King Dad)**

**<Connor> I have a question about Beckett and Nines. Nothing urgent.**

**<Connor> We saw an ad for Build-a-Bear Workshop and Beckett wants to go. I tried offering the online store as an alternative, but he really seems to want to go in-person. It would also be a good opportunity to show Nines a larger variety of clothing styles in one place without traveling around the city. **

**<Connor> However, I am concerned about the crowds as the closest location is inside of a mall, and it is a longer drive than they are used to.**

**<Simon> I vote yes!!!!!!!!**

**<Hank> Oh yea i know where that is**

**<Hank> Its not as long a drvie as it looks**

**<Josh> Beck would have to be in the chair, but I don’t see why not. I can most likely go with to make sure nothing happens. Maybe we can call ahead to see when they are less busy?**

**<Connor> I hadn’t thought about that. **

**<Hank> Im off on thursday and firday if we can go one of htose**

**<Josh> I can call them, actually. I’ll message when I have an answer.**

**<Connor> Thank you. ^^**

**<Josh> <3**

As Connor exited the group chat window, Beckett leaned his head down on his shoulder and nuzzled him. He smiled and set the tablet in Beckett’s lap, leaving his arm free to wrap around Beck’s shoulders. Nines reached up to keep up the constant contact between them, requesting a shallow interface, which Connor accepted; Nines was always more comfortable when connected with another android, and Connor was more than happy to assist.

The trip out would be good. Connor himself had barely left New Jericho in the past three weeks, and it was clear that Beck was growing frustrated with being stuck in one place. He just hoped it went well. They were more than overdue a day without crises to just relax.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he was looking forward to something, and that made everything feel just a little bit lighter.

* * *

Beckett felt weird leaving New Jericho. He hadn’t left since they rescued him besides a couple of short trips around the outside of the building in his wheelchair. It was scary, but he tried to push that feeling back. He wanted to do this and do something normal - normal people went to stores in person - instead of just sitting at home feeling miserable. He was tired of feeling scared.

He forgot how cold it was, even as bundled up as he was. He had a new jacket fitted to be shorter in the back so it was more comfortable in the chair, a beanie from Connor that covered the scars on his forehead, and thick boots. He wouldn’t be walking in the snow at all, but he liked how warm they were. He was only able to stand up long enough for Josh to help him into dad’s car, but his legs hurt even after he was sitting down again. He wanted to say something about it but his verbal processors just wouldn’t push the words down to his voice box. All that came out was a quiet whimper.

“Did that hurt?” Josh asked gently. Beckett nodded. “I’m sorry, we’ll figure out a better way to do this. Here.”

He held out Beckett’s tablet and Beckett took it, immediately jumping to the quick-use menu to say, **Thank you.**

“You’re welcome. I’ll be right up front, so if it starts to hurt more let me know, okay?”

**Yes.**

Josh smiled and crawled back out of the car to allow Connor to sit next to him. Beckett wanted to swing his legs up to cuddle with his brother the way he was used to doing in the apartment, but that wasn’t safe to do in the car. It just felt uncomfortable to feel so separated and locked into place. The bad feeling went away a little when Nines sat on his other side, and Beckett ended up squished between them.

Dad looked back at them through the rear-view mirror. “Ready to head out?”

Beckett moved between the menus slowly as the others said yes, building up a full sentence. **I am ready to go, daddy.**

Dad smiled, and it made him feel really warm. He always smiled when Beckett called him that, even though it looked a little more sad at first, and Beckett liked when he smiled. Dad had to spend a lot of time at the police station helping with the case so any time Beckett had with him was more special.

Being on the highway was a little bit scary. They were moving so much faster, and the roads for manual vehicles were not maintained as well as those for self-driving cars, so they were more bumpy and made weird noises against the tires. The wind was really loud even with the windows closed, and the fences alongside them passed by too quickly. Beckett just closed his eyes and buried his head in the shoulder of Connor’s jacket. Connor very gently played with his hair, which made him feel a little better, even if he wasn’t ready to look out the window again.

“Alright, we’re here.”

Beckett opened his eyes and sat up straight, though he felt a little wobbly. Connor helped him to the edge of the seat in front of the door, but instead of pulling him up to walk to the chair, he paused with his hand on Beckett’s shoulder.

“Is it okay if I pick you up?” Connor asked. Beckett nodded. “Good. Hold onto my neck - yes, like this - and I’ll set you in the chair.”

With Beckett’s arms wrapped tightly around Connor’s neck, Connor lifted him slowly and backed away from the car to where Josh had unfolded the chair. It still took a bit of shuffling and adjusting to get comfortable in the seat, but it was so much better than walking. 

Josh stepped forward to slide the detachable table into place and set his AAC tablet on top. “Was that better?”

**Yes**, Beckett selected.

Dad pushed the chair, which Beckett only didn’t like because it meant he couldn’t actually see his dad. He wished he brought one of his stuffed animals, maybe his turtle, but that would be weird considering where they were going. As it was, all he had to keep his hands busy was the rubber case around his tablet, and he didn’t want to break it by pulling too hard.

He couldn’t help the big smile on his face when he saw the store down the corridor. The outside of it was bright yellow and blue, with a large statue of a teddy bear above the door, making it easy to spot. If any of them asked, he wouldn’t be able to explain why he was so excited - he just _ was. _ He liked his stuffed animals; they made him feel safer, somehow. Like if he just hugged them he would stop hurting. This time, he would get to pick out his own and make it himself, just the way he wanted. A laugh burst out and he covered his mouth to hide it. Josh, who was holding Nines’ hand, smiled back at him.

“You see the store?” he asked.

Beckett nodded, finally able to push a single word to his voice box, “Bear!”

“Yeah, it’s pretty big. Do you know what you want to make yet?”

He shook his head. He had seen the few in the commercial, and Connor had shown him a few others, but he hadn’t decided. He wanted to see all of them first, to make sure he was making the right choice.

“You’ll have plenty of time to pick,” dad said. “No limit, whatever you want.”

As soon as they entered the store, Beckett felt overwhelmed. The front half of the store was lined with different animals to choose from, with even more displays in the middle. A human in the store’s uniform walked up to them with their arms folded behind them and a grin on their face.

“Hi, we were expecting you,” they said cheerfully. “My name is Max, I’ll be helping you find your new friend today! Sammy told me everything you talked about, so we're all set to go.”

“Thanks Max, we really appreciate it," Josh replied, resting his free hand on Beckett's shoulder. "This is Beckett, and Nines."

"Nice to meet you! Beckett, do you know what kind of animal you want?"

He frowned. He had thought more about that, but his answer felt silly, now that he was there. He wanted a dog, but he already had Nana, and while he liked dogs, he didn't have any experience with other animals. What if he liked another more but just didn't know it?

Max hummed and turned to look at the shelves. "Hard decision, huh? How about we look at all of them together, and we can pull the ones you really like to narrow it down?"

**Okay**, he pressed on the tablet.

Max smiled and looked back at Nines. "If you decide you want something, Sammy will be back up front in a sec, so she can help."

"Thank you."

"Alrighty, let's start on the left!"

It felt a little less intimidating to look at them one by one. Dad helped describe the real animals they were based on when he wasn't sure, and Max had stories for each one. After the first round, Beckett had picked out a black and white cat, a multicolored dog, and a tan bunny. He decided on the cat; it was by far the softest, and was posed to stand like a real cat, which he preferred. Next, Max led them to a row of large boxes filled with stuffing. 

"Alright, we're going to head over to these big machines here - this is how we fill up our friends," Max explained. "Do you want her to be really squishy, or a bit tougher?"

**Second. **Beckett liked how squishy his bear was, but it was easier to hug Nana really tight since she had more filling.

Max attached the cat to the machine

"Okay, so now we have to get the heart ready to go in."

They picked a small fabric heart out of a nearby bin and held it out to him. "We need to charge the heart up. We're gonna start with making her real strong by rubbing the heart on your arms."

A laugh bubbled up as he took the heart and followed their directions. First the arms, then the chest, then the forehead. The last step was a kiss, and then he handed the heart back to Max, who inserted it inside the stuffing. They finished filling the cat and closed up the back half-way.

“Alright, give her a hug and tell me if you like her,” they said, holding out the cat. Beckett squeezed it tight and handed it back with a nod. “Great! I just need to finish her up and then you’ll be all set! While you’re waiting, why don’t you see if there’s any accessories you want?”

He looked back over his shoulder at dad, who smiled and adjusted his beanie. “I think I saw a couple you’ll like.”

As they moved back towards the racks of accessories and outfits, Beckett watched Nines pick out an animal, but he couldn’t see what it was. Dad stopped the chair and walked around him to pull something off of the shelf: a red vest, just like Sumo’s, that said “SERVICE PET” along the sides. Beckett grinned and covered his mouth with his hands.

“I saw it on the way in, thought you might want it,” dad said, setting it on Beckett’s tray.

“Yes!”

Dad put his hand on Beckett’s shoulder and rubbed in small circles with his thumb. Beckett liked seeing him smile so much. It felt like no one really did since he got back, and it gave him a really bad feeling because it was his fault. Dad did more than the others, but Beckett could tell when it was fake, though dad didn’t know that.

They paid at the counter when Max returned, just as Nines finished filling up his. He looked a little embarrassed with the orca in one hand and a birth certificate in the other. Beckett held his up, showing his cat’s name - Chloe, he finally decided - and Nines smiled and showed his, named simply Orca. Connor helped get the vest out of the packaging and slide it onto Chloe and tucked it back into Beckett’s arms. 

They left the store, and Connor and Josh led Nines to a nearby store that looked like it had clothing inside. Nines didn’t have his own stuff yet, just like when Beckett first came home, so he’d have to get everything new. They waited outside by a set of benches that dad sat down on facing Beckett.

“You still feeling okay?” dad asked gently. 

Beckett nodded. He was feeling a little more tired, but he didn’t want to tell dad that. He’d just want to stop the trip early. Nines needed things too. He didn’t like everyone changing plans around him, working around him, always worrying about him. It felt like they had stopped, but then he... then Cyberlife...

“Hey, hey, look at me, you’re okay-”

Beckett rubbed roughly at his face, even more frustrated when he felt tears on his cheeks. He didn’t want it to hurt anymore. He didn’t want to have bad dreams anymore, wanted to be able to talk without raising his stress levels, wanted to just exist. 

Dad reached out and wiped another tear away from next to his eye. “What’s up, huh?”

He fought hard against the prompt that wanted to smack dad’s hand away. He didn’t want to do that. The fight-or-flight protocols still hadn’t slowed down and he hated them. They felt bad and he was tired of feeling bad. He slowly typed out on the tablet with one hand, holding Chloe to his chest with the other.

**I don’t want to make it bad for everyone else.**

“You’re not making anything bad,” dad replied gently.

**I don’t want it.**

“This isn’t just about the trip, is it?”

Beckett curled away from him, wincing at the quiet sigh dad didn’t think he could hear. Out of the corner of his vision he could see dad waving to someone, probably the others trying to meet back up with them. Beckett was wasting even more of everyone’s time.

“What happened to you was really scary, and you were hurt pretty bad,” dad explained, touching his elbow. “You probably feel like you’re wasting our time, if it’s anything like the first time. We really just want to help you feel okay again. This is a pretty big step just a week after we found you, and I’m really proud of you. But you don’t have to pretend you’re feeling better than you really are. We’re not going anywhere.”

Beckett tried to force the words to his voice box, past all of the pain and static. It still sounded wrong and made him feel gross but he wanted to say it himself. “I’m sorry...”

“None of that. If we’re being overbearing just let us know we need to back off, okay? We won’t be mad.”

He nodded. Dad tried to hug him even though they both had to twist around uncomfortably to do it, and Beckett rested his cheek against dad’s shoulder. It was a little easier to whisper, even if it came out a little bit staticky.

“Love you,” he mumbled.

“I love you too kiddo. Alright, I think they’re done shopping, let’s head out. We’ll get your blanket out for the ride home, sound good?”

Beckett nodded again and hugged Chloe tighter to his chest. Dad kissed his forehead just below the beanie before pulling it back down and sitting back upright with another smile. It felt a little less scary.

Back in the car, Josh did a quick check-up while Connor moved the wheelchair to the trunk. Josh didn’t say anything about his raised stress levels or how tired he was, just connected long enough to send Beckett a wave of comfort. Nines slid into the seat beside him holding the weighted blanket, gingerly tucking it around his shoulders. Beckett just wanted to curl up and fall asleep.

He closed his eyes, leaning his head on Nines’ shoulder, sending a wireless prompt asking what he had chosen in the store. Nines sent back some frames from his memory of a few different outfits with descriptions. His systems slowly shifted into stasis as they pulled out of the parking lot, and the outfits turned into memories of them watching videos together. Later, he would wake up on the couch in the apartment with his shoes and winter gear removed, dad’s hand combing his hair from his face. For a moment, he let himself forget everything that happened, and curled further down under his blanket. It wasn’t perfect, but for the moment, maybe it was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special thank you to Emiliaf25 for encouraging me to write this chapter and tolerating my constant tags on tumblr <3 
> 
> Next chapter may be a bit rough again, but I figured the kids deserved a break, and Facebook is constantly suggesting I order online from Build-a-Bear, so... this happened. I almost gave Beckett a Paw Patrol plush because there's a police dog, but I didn't think that would still be around in 2041, lol.


	17. Incision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything starts catching up to Beckett all at once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Descriptions of sexual abuse. Descriptions of illness and injuries that may be disturbing. 
> 
> Quick note, since I just want to make it clear, in this story, Beckett and Connor are both autistic, and Beckett's autistic traits are largely unrelated to the YK500 parts. They certainly don't help and take away a lot of potential coping mechanisms, while making him incredibly vulnerable, but they aren't the cause. I would be writing him as autistic either way (see: my story "Just Connor"). I'm largely writing from my own experiences as an autistic person who severely lagged behind in emotional development until high school. 
> 
> Thank you everyone for all of the amazing comments and kudos I've been receiving lately!! I'm always so excited to get those notifications in my email and I've never deleted any from my inbox here haha

Everything was dark when Beckett opened his eyes. He looked down and couldn’t even see his hands in front of him. Was his vision malfunctioning? Josh’s report didn’t say anything was wrong with his eyes.

Something grabbed his arms near his shoulders and _ squeezed_. He tried to pull away but the grip only tightened even more. He opened his mouth to scream, but it didn’t come out. It wasn’t like the other times he tried to talk - there was always a static sensation and pain from his throat to his jaw. This time there was absolutely nothing. 

“Where do you think you’re going, you little shit?!”

Beckett yanked his arms back and kicked out, only met with air. No no no, he wasn’t allowed in New Jericho. _ I’m sorry Beckett, we couldn’t stop it. He is at his home awaiting trial; Cyberlife paid for his release. _

“I told you to sit still!”

Finally the pressure on his arms released and he ran forward. He didn’t care where he was going, it didn’t matter, he just needed to get away. Finally he saw a light in the distance, dim but so bright in the darkness, and under it was a door. He slammed the door shut behind him.

It swung back out.

_ We will keep him as far away as possible- _

He pulled it back in place.

It fell open.

_ -and the police are monitoring him. _

It wouldn’t close.

Beckett felt his ventilation system choke as the sound of his thirium pump pounded in his head. He couldn’t get away. He couldn’t see _ him _ coming, but he could hear _ him _ , _ feel _ ** _him_ **. 

“RK800, get back here right now! I’m going to fucking dismantle you!”

He tried flipping a lightswitch next to the door but nothing happened. Everything was dark, dark, dark, except for that one light outside. Beckett held the door closed and hoped desperately, painfully, that he could keep it there. He looked down to the small bar of light under the door, but it was gone, replaced by a growing puddle of red and blue. He felt rather than saw a notification pop up identifying a sample of thirium - his own. 

Terrified, he let go of the doorknob long enough to touch his face. His fingers clumsily bumped against smooth plastic with a deafening clack. It was wet under his nose down to his chin, the sticky liquid caked on his lips. His thirium pump throbbed and pulsed angrily in his chest. 

_ Beck, they’re gone now, okay? It’s just us. _

He didn’t analyze the red.

“Take that shit off. _ Now._”

He shook his head. No. He didn’t want to do it. He didn’t want it, he didn’t want it, he didn’t want it, he didn’t want it-

His knee joints gave out and sent him tumbling to the ground, hanging off the doorknob as tight as he could. Something grabbed his wrist but he was suddenly too tired to move away. _ He _ couldn’t have gotten inside. Beckett was holding the door shut. Everything felt fuzzy, like it was spinning around him and he couldn’t get away.

“You’re not allowed to say no. You’re just a machine - you follow orders.”

The hand let go of his wrist and gently lifted his chin up. He couldn’t see who was there but he knew. The hand gently smeared some of the thirium on his face, brushing the thumb over his lips.

“Now, are we going to do this the easy way, or do I have to pull out the command codes?”

He didn’t want to do it. He didn’t want to do it. _ He didn’t want to do it... _

His own hands slipped from the doorknob into his lap, and out of his control, they tugged at the waist of his jeans, and the rough fabric burned his fingers. 

“Please,” Beckett finally mumbled.

“Shut the hell up and let’s just get this over with. Don’t need the others giving me shit.”

_ There you are. You’re okay, you’re safe here, I promise. _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_ Just keep looking at me, munchkin._

  
  
  
  
  


_ Hey, hey, it’s okay... _

  
  
  


_I’m just moving a little closer, okay? I’m not gonna touch you. _

  
  


_ Think you can put that down for me? Just like that. _

Beckett snapped back into his body and everything hit at once like a tidal wave. The dark room was gone, replaced by a mass of blurred shapes and lights, too bright no matter how much he squinted. Every brush of fabric against his body felt like he was being sliced open over and over and over. There was something wet all over his face but he couldn’t analyze it anymore and he was too scared to touch it. He was so hot, like he was burning alive, like his insides were boiling up and filling with steam. His vision was blurred and he could only make out a few shapes against the violent light. His thirium pump pulsed sluggishly and he could feel just how hard his ventilation was trying to drag air in to cool himself down.

It felt like he was dying.

“There you go,” a low voice said. His processors tried to read the sounds and put the voice to a face but kept aborting the process part-way through. “I’m going to take another step forward. Tell me if I need to stop.”

One of the blobs of shadow moved closer and Beckett felt something against his palms. It was sharp and the sound of it scraping against his fingers grated down his spine. Everything was wrong and bad and felt like _ too much_.

“Can you tell me where you are right now?” the voice asked.

Pain shot through his jaw as soon as he tried, making him choke. He could taste thirium as it stuck to his throat. He settled for jerking his head from side to side.

“That’s okay. You’re in New Jericho, in one of the conference rooms.” His search on the voice narrowed down, and it moved forward an extra three percent before cancelling again. “It’s just you and me right now. Everyone else is out of the room. Okay?”

Conference room.

He remembered that.

They were all meeting to talk about the case. Beckett was there because something happened that he needed to know about, and then...

Nothing.

Beckett looked down at his hands. He was holding part of a pen in his fist, and the sharp feeling was the broken plastic where he had snapped part of it off. There was some red on the tip, but the ink on his hands was black, so where...

The pain radiated across his neck again and down through his chest, but he was finally able to push the word through: “Who?”

He couldn’t see the person’s face but something moved. “What do you mean?”

“Red, red!”

“Oh, shit, it’s okay kid, you didn’t hurt anyone. Promise.”

No, there was red on the pen, and it wasn’t ink.

They sighed. “The pen just scraped your old man by accident when it broke. No harm done.”

No. No no no no no-

He hurt his dad. He had blacked out and got stuck in a nightmare and hurt dad. It didn’t matter if it was only a scratch. It didn’t matter how hard he tried, he hurt his dad, just like he knew he would. A really bad feeling bubbled up his throat and came out as an agonizing sob. He had warned them, specifically told dad that he wasn’t safe and was just going to hurt them, but _ they hadn’t listened_.

“Hey, it’s okay, look back at me. It’s okay. It really was just a little scratch, barely needed a band-aid.”

It wasn’t okay. Beckett had hurt Hank, and he couldn’t take that back.

He scrambled to his feet and the shadow moved back. It was Beckett’s fault, he was bad, he hurt Hank, bad bad bad badbad_ badbadbad- _

His head was swimming and every movement was like pulling against a repair rig. His hands suddenly opened and the pen clattered to the floor, an alert appeared, and his legs gave out beneath him, sending him right back down to his knees. The shadow approached him again, hands up in the air. 

“Would it help if we turned the lights down? Here, I won’t do it all the way.”

The lights dimmed and everything felt a little less clouded. The identification chugged along until it finally gave him an answer.

**>Identification: Gavin Reed, 38 years old, no criminal record.**

Beckett lifted one trembling hand and tried to spell out Gavin’s name, but he couldn’t make his hand form the N. Gavin sat back with his legs crossed, still keeping two feet of space between them.

“You can just do the first three letters if that’s easier,” Gavin said, showing what he meant. “I’ll know what you mean. I’m guessing the lights helped?”

Beckett nodded.

“Good. Whenever I have panic attacks I get super sensitive to pretty much everything too. I’m going to move a little closer, I just want to get a look at your hands if that’s cool.”

He moved slowly and deliberately, grabbing a pile of stuff from the table before carefully scooting forward. Beckett rested his hands palms-up in his lap; the ink was settling in some of the cracks in his joints, showing the real physical shape beneath the skin overlay.

“Okay, so I was talking to all them about it, and the ink isn’t able to get anywhere it shouldn’t be, so since I don’t see any cuts or anything we can just wipe them down,” Gavin said, pulling out a pack of wipes from the pile and popping it open. “Then we just need to get your face all cleaned up and we’ll go on from there. Sound good?”

What was wrong with his face? His jaw hurt from speaking, but he couldn’t find any other damage listed, and he didn’t want to spread the ink any further...

Gavin seemed to know what the problem was and kept talking as he very gently moved the wipe in small circles on one of Beckett’s hands. “While you were blacked out - or whatever that was - you got a pretty bad nosebleed, then threw up a bit.”

“S-s-so-sorr-ry,” he stuttered. He had to swallow down more thirium and it felt thick and disgusting in his throat. 

“No big deal, it’s easy to clean.” Gavin set aside the dirty wipes and pulled out a fresh set. “Let’s start on your face. Stop me if it hurts - like, you can really just slap my hand away, it won’t hurt my feelings or anything.”

Beckett tried as hard as he could not to move. He didn’t want to hit anyone. Everything still felt wrong, but when he touched his face and it wasn’t sticky, he relaxed just a little bit. Gavin sat back with a small smile.

“There. All set. Feel a bit better now?”

Beckett nodded again.

“Good. Uh, so, everyone else is outside. You looked super freaked out any time any of them came closer but didn’t with me, so I had them leave. They can come back.”

No, he didn’t want that. He hurt dad and probably upset all the others. He shook his head and Gavin sighed. “Yeah, okay.”

Beckett slowly crawled over to Gavin, ignoring how his legs wouldn’t bend and how hot he still felt, and settled back down next to him. Gavin wouldn’t let him hurt anyone and wouldn’t be afraid to stop him. He startled a little when Gavin very gently rested a hand on Beckett’s back, rubbing what would be shoulder blades in a human, but quickly squashed the panic response. It didn’t hurt like everything else did.

“Do you know what happened to you just now?”

He spelled out his answer. He didn’t like the way his thirium felt going back down his throat. **Nightmare.**

It was definitely a nightmare. It wasn’t real. It was based on something real, but it was just a bad dream.

“That’s what I figured,” Gavin said quietly. “After Markus told you about the release, you blanked out, didn’t respond at all until Hank touched you, that’s when the pen broke. Then you backed into the corner there and stopped responding again.”

It was scary. It was just like every other nightmare he had lately, twisted with whatever was wrong with his body. He couldn’t put his words together enough to come up with any other way to describe it besides _ bad. _To know that even though he was trapped in a bad dream, his body was still acting independently... That was even scarier. The room went blurry again but he didn’t have enough energy to dry his eyes. When his body tilted forward and his vision cut out for a moment, Gavin steadied him with a heavy exhale.

“Come on, let’s head back up to your place so you can chill out for a bit.”

“No!” he blurted out.

He instantly regretted it as the pain lanced through his throat again and another sob burst out of his chest, which just made it _ worse. _There were so many error messages he couldn’t see through them. Gavin shushed him and returned to rubbing his back.

“Okay, it’s cool, we can go wherever.”

“No bed,” he forced out, no matter how much it hurt. 

He didn’t want to go back to bed. He had spent too much time in it, he had nightmares every time he was there, and he didn’t want to go back. Being able to go to the mall had felt so good, even when he had to go back to bed later, because when he was out and awake he didn’t feel like _ this. _

“Okay,” Gavin mumbled, pulling something out of his pocket. “Alright. I’m gonna text North real quick, see if any of them have ideas of where else you can hang out.”

“I want my dad,” Beckett whispered.

Gavin paused and then gently patted him on the back. “Okay, munchkin. I’ll text him too.”

Beckett leaned over to rest his head on Gavin’s shoulder and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to go into stasis and cancelled the prompt several times, but he couldn’t keep them open anymore. His systems slipped into low-power mode to keep him awake and some of the fog crept back over his sensors.

For a few minutes, the only sounds were Gavin’s fingers on his phone screen and the distant, ever-present hum of activity in New Jericho. The door opened, and one set of footsteps walked in, shutting it behind them. The steps moved closer, followed by a grunt and some rustling around directly in front of them.

“Is he asleep?”

“Think so. He hasn’t moved in a while and he was pretty tired.”

Dad and Gavin. Their voices were soft as they spoke, likely so they wouldn’t wake him up. Beckett didn’t move or react at all to them.

“Did he say anything about what happened?”

“He said he had a nightmare, and he’s really upset about the pen thing. Can’t really talk much, whenever he tried it looked really fucking painful.”

“Shit. Okay. Thanks for this - seriously.”

“It’s fine. Where’re you gonna take him? He _ really _ didn’t want to go back to bed.”

“North’s upstairs figuring something out. We’re not taking any chances until that fucker’s convicted, ‘specially not if this is what happens when he’s brought up.”

Beckett fought hard not to wince.

“Shit, yeah. Ugh. Iz said he messaged Cecilia last night.”

“Jesus.”

“Has he tried any of that shit here?”

“Nah, he knows he’ll get slammed if he does. Fucker better hope I’m not allowed in the courtroom or he won’t even make it to prison.”

Gavin snorted. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“Yeah, yeah. Alright, I better get him upstairs, Josh is gonna want a look at him.”

“Good luck. I need to finish some shit here then I’m headed back to the station, you guys need anything?”

“We’re good. One of Con’s boyfriends stress-cooks and cleans and everything, I’m pretty sure if someone else tried to help even buy something he’d implode. Thanks, though.”

“No prob.”

Dad touched his shoulder and he opened his eyes, pretending to be only just waking. Dad smiled at him. That made the good warmth come back a little.

“Hey kiddo,” dad said softly. “We’re gonna head upstairs - North is putting together somethin’ special for you so you don’t have to go back to that bed. Sound good?”

Beckett nodded. Dad opened his arms and Beckett leaned in, wrapping his own arms around dad’s neck. Dad hugged him back for a short moment before putting one hand behind Beckett’s knees and the other around his back and standing up. It was a little shaky, but Beckett couldn’t stand on his own. It hurt whenever he tried, just like everything else. 

“Daddy,” he whispered, swallowing hard to clear out the thirium.

“I’ve got you. I think North is putting together a little pillow nest in her room, you been in there ever? She has lights all around it and things painted on all the walls by everyone. Should be a bit more comfortable, and there’s more room if you want us to hang out with you...”

Beckett tucked his head against dad’s neck, closing his eyes again. That sounded nice. He didn’t want to sleep, but maybe if more people were with him, it would be okay. Everything faded into the background as they rode the elevator up to the apartment. He heard the door open and the security system greeted them before shutting again. 

North sent him a small interface request - she must have been the one who opened the door - and sent a picture of what her room looked like. There was a strangely tall mattress taking up most of the floor, covered in blankets and a dozen pillows of different sizes and textures. The room was dim except for the string lights dad had mentioned, and she had put up a canopy like the one Simon made for the blanket fort on the couch.

“Jesus, how’d you even get one this big?” dad asked, turning sideways to fit them through the door.

“Special order like a couple months ago, it just came in. I don’t like normal beds.”

“Fair enough. Here we go - there. That feel okay?”

Dad set Beckett down on the mattress, moving a few pillows and blankets into place around him to keep him on his side. Beckett nodded. His throat still hurt and everything felt a bit... empty, but the mattress was good. It wasn’t like Connor’s bed, so even though he still couldn’t leave it, it was different. 

“Good, now get some sleep before Josh comes up.” Dad brushed back some hair that had fallen into Beckett’s face. “I’ll be here.”

Beckett let his systems fall back into low-power mode, unwilling to sleep but unable to stay fully awake. Something in his chest shifted, and the unpleasant warmth spilled down to his side. He flinched and curled against the discomfort. Someone connected to him for a short time before pulling away, but he couldn’t see any of the dialogue prompts around the flood of errors multiplying in front of him.

“Shit, hey, can you sit up for me for a sec?”

An icky, wet feeling dribbled down his cheek and the warmth began to _ burn. _ He whimpered as he was nudged onto his back, and all of the heat spread to his spine. His legs twitched and kicked out against nothing.

“Oh fuck- _ Josh! _”

Something touched his forehead but he couldn’t lift his hands to push it away. A sob burst out and it felt like acid coated his throat.

“Oh my god, Beckett, hey, you’re gonna be okay. Okay? Shit...”

“Is he still conscious?”

“I don’t know, he looked like he was asleep but he’s moving-”

“Shit, we need to get him to the hospital floor, _ now! _”

“Here, I’ll carry him.”

“He’s going into stasis in 4 minutes, I can’t override it. Sarah, Martin, meet me in room 56 ASAP.”

Beckett moaned as he was lifted, wanting desperately to escape the bad feelings swirling around his abdomen. He managed to grab onto dad’s shirt and weakly curled his fingers around the fabric just for something to hold on to. 

“Daddy, I don’t feel good,” he mumbled. A wave of pain hit and he buried his face in dad’s shirt with another whimper.

“It’s okay baby, I’ve got you. We’ll get you all fixed up and you’ll be okay.”

“Try to keep him upright, we don’t want the fluids to damage his biocomponents-”

“Oh my god-”

“Why is it-”

**>Emergency Stasis: Active**

**>Seek repairs as soon as possible.**

“Please...” 

* * *

Markus’ hands hadn’t stopped shaking since Hank ordered them out of the conference room. He just kept seeing Beckett’s face when he said Camden was allowed out, the way his eyes seemed to lose focus and his LED flared a violent red. The pen in Beckett’s hand had snapped and when Hank tried to touch his shoulder he lashed out - he barely nicked Hank’s hand, but it was enough to send Beckett flying out of his chair. His head bounced off of the wall and he immediately crumpled to the floor, holding the remains of the pen out like a weapon at anyone who came close, even as thirium dripped out of his nose and the sides of his mouth.

Detective Reed sent them out, and when Hank brought Beckett back upstairs, Markus tried to go back to dealing with the media circus hounding Jericho for information about the case. One of them almost managed to sneak through security in an attempt to get exclusive photos, until they were promptly stopped and sent on their way.

Then, barely half an hour later, Beckett was rushed down to the hospital wing, and no one knew why he was suddenly so sick.

North sat next to Markus, holding his hands as steady as she could between her own. They knew Beckett would be frightened by the news, but no one expected this. This was something else, something wrong. He looked over at Connor and Simon, sitting directly across from them. Connor hadn’t moved since they arrived, but Markus could see they were connected through their hands. Nines sat apart from them with Detective Reed, so tense Markus could practically hear his joints creaking from the strain. Reed wrapped his arm around Nines’ shoulders and he finally seemed to relax just a little.

Josh had been working on Beckett for two hours and they hadn’t heard anything, from him or Hank, who refused to leave.

At two and a half hours, Sarah came out and asked Connor to join them. He reluctantly pulled away from Simon and followed her back inside. Simon moved to Markus’ other side, resting an arm across his shoulders and placing his other hand on top of North’s.

At just over three hours, Josh returned alone to the waiting room. He looked as exhausted as Markus felt.

“He’s stable for now,” Josh said quietly. “We’re keeping him in stasis for now to keep stress off of his body as much as possible.”

“Do you know what happened?” North asked, tracing nervous circles on the back of Markus’ hand.

“Yes. It’s... The YK500 antivirus software is rejecting the new biocomponents, and attacking them like they’re foreign objects. It’s why he was still so tired, and still in so much pain. We thought he was just taking longer to recover, everything looked fine in his diagnostics...”

“But they were failing the whole time.”

“... Yes. No matter what we replace them with, his body will just keep rejecting them.”

“Then what do we do?”

Josh winced. “We really only have two options. He could stay connected to our equipment to force his systems to recognize the components until we can find a way to repair all of the damage and find a permanent solution, but that would put stress on his remaining functional biocomponents and he would likely be as sick as he has been until now, only he wouldn’t be able to leave New Jericho for long periods of time.”

So, not truly an option, then. Markus had only been without biocomponents and conscious for an hour and it had been the most miserable, painful, and traumatizing thing he ever experienced. “And the other option?”

“We move his processing components to an unoccupied YK500 frame. It would be a better solution, but...”

“We might lose him in the process if something goes wrong,” Markus finished flatly.

“Yes.”

North's grip tightened on his hands. "Do we even have a body for him to go to?"

"We do, from that small release Cyberlife was forced to give us back in October. They don't have any AI so it would be a fresh installation.”

"Then we have to do it," she said firmly.

"That's what Hank and Connor decided,” Josh murmured. “I don’t think we can do it here with the limited equipment we have, but Sarah and Martin are looking through the logs to see what we can do.”

Detective Reed spoke up, very softly rubbing Nines’ back. “I’ll call Elijah, Hank said no one’s talked to him yet. I know he’s still got a ton of tech lying around.”

“Thank you.”

“Yup.” Reed pulled his phone out of his pocket with his free hand. “I know he’s home, I can probably get him down here today if we need to.”

“Yes please. Beckett will wake up in about six hours, I’d like to limit the amount of time he’s in pain.”

“How are they doing in there?” Simon asked softly.

“Connor is... coping, sort of.” He lowered his voice even more. “I don’t know about Hank. I think all of this is starting to catch up with him. I’ve never seen him like this.”

“We should call Isabelle.”

“She’s on her way now,” North said. “I’ve been keeping her updated, she only just got out of a crisis call over in the shelter.”

“Send her in when she gets here, I’m heading back in,” Josh said, wringing his hands.

“Will do.”

Markus closed his eyes.

Now they just had to wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, this story was originally, in the very first draft, an Isabelle/Gavin/Nines AU where they and Hank all kinda co-parented Beck, and since I completely removed that aspect of the story, I wanted to add back some of the Beck and Gav bonding time! (him calling Beckett "munchkin" is from my favorite college professor, who called anyone under 20 years old a munchkin lol)
> 
> Writing the nightmare felt gross. I'm writing it from my own perspective as a survivor who has had that kind of dream, and it's unpleasant and gross and I'm sorry :(


	18. Sculpt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kamski and Chloe arrive to help with Beckett's procedure.

Gavin wasn’t sure how to feel as he waited in the parking lot. Chloe said they would be in a green manual hatchback with tinted windows, and they were going to try sneaking in the back away from the press mob dying for new info on the case. He couldn’t even remember the last time he saw either of them in person; Elijah was a pain in the ass hermit, and Chloe almost never left his side. He only saw Missy, Kylie, and Cassie more often because they moved out of Eli’s dipshit fortress. It was weird getting to know them as people now, and they were usually the only way he heard anything about Eli. 

God he needed a smoke.

Nines stood next to him in a t-shirt, because androids couldn’t feel fucking cold, watching Gavin as he always did. That should have felt weird, too, but it didn’t. Nines was just slowly becoming a fixture and that was fine. He was fine.

“How do you know Elijah Kamski?” Nines asked softly, folding his arms behind his back.

Gavin absolutely did not want to talk about this, _ fuck him _for forgetting his lighter and pack in his jacket back at work. “You didn’t already look it up?”

He could see Nines’ light spinning rapidly out of the corner of his eye. “No. That would be rude, and you asked me not to scan people.”

“Fuck, I did say that.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “He’s my brother.”

“I see.”

“You know, I’m not gonna be mad if you want to go back up to everyone else.”

“I’d rather wait with you,” Nines said.

The worst part was, Gavin knew he really meant that. He had no idea _ why _ the android had imprinted on him so hard, but he had to admit it was... kind of adorable. It wasn’t even anything to do with his programming - he just did it because he genuinely liked Gavin.

Gavin wasn’t sure what to do with those feelings either. So he just put them to the side and told himself he didn’t need North breathing down his neck, or a mother hen boyfriend following him around until he found someone better than Gavin. Or to fuck everything up with a really nice guy who only stuck to him because he didn’t know there was anything better out there, and inflict permanent damage on someone who had only just started living.

Maybe it wasn’t too late to text Tina and ask her to grab his shit from his desk. She’d come if she knew Isabelle was upstairs.

But, no. A car matching Chloe’s description pulled in through the discreet back gate and pulled up right in front of them. Gavin held his breath. Chloe stepped out first from the passenger’s side in a pair of yoga pants and a sweater, then she rolled her eyes and ducked back down into the car. 

“Out of the car, now,” she commanded. “We don’t have time for this.”

The driver’s side door creaked open with a string of muttered curses. Chloe walked around the car and greeted Gavin with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. 

He huffed out a laugh as he hugged back. “Hey kid.”

“Hello. I kicked him to make him go faster but you’re both emotionally constipated so he’ll be out in a minute.”

“Brat,” he mumbled.

She stepped back and turned her big smile on Nines. “Hello, you must be Nines. My name is Chloe.”

“The first android to pass the Turing Test,” Nines rambled off. 

“Yup, that’s me. It’s good to meet you.”

Gavin watched the driver’s side door as it slowly opened, and his brother stepped out in an ancient hoodie and sneakers and his hair pulled back in a stupid bun. And, unlike every photo Gavin had seen of him in the past five years, he had his thick nerdy glasses on. He stood up in one fluid motion and avoided looking at Gavin completely. It shouldn’t have stung the way it did - it wasn’t like he’d made any effort in their relationship either - but it felt really shitty.

“Hey,” Elijah said awkwardly, already shuffling back towards the car.

“Hi.”

“I saw you on the news. One of the papers got quite the photo of you.”

Gavin shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, hoping his face wasn’t actually as red as it felt. He knew _ exactly _ what picture his brother meant - a shot of him giving Nines a blanket outside the tower, Nines looking like him like he was the most amazing thing in the world. Tina had posted it on every social media she had the second she saw it. 

“Whatever.”

Elijah smirked, but whatever smug comment he was about to make was interrupted by Chloe stepping back in with a hand on his shoulder.

“We should head inside and get started,” she said pointedly.

“Right.”

“Yeah, hospital’s on the fifth floor,” Gavin listed off. “Just, be gentle with the kid? I mean not you Chloe, but Eli, please don’t be so fucking weird for once.”

Chloe frowned. “Is there more you can tell us about what happened?”

Nines’ entire body went tense and his light went fire truck red. Gavin instinctively reached out to rest a hand on Nines’ back until he loosened up just a little. 

“You know John Camden?”

Both of them flinched, Chloe’s light also going red for a few moments, and Elijah angrily tugging his sleeves down.

“Unfortunately,” he snapped. “He was one of the people who pushed me out of the company.”

“He put his hands in several departments until it would have been nearly impossible to remove him,” Chloe elaborated. “When others at the top plotted to remove Elijah, Camden was brought to the table. Around that time, a police report related to domestic violence was filed against him but Cyberlife erased it for him.”

Shit. That would have been around when Isabelle was pregnant with Cecilia, and she tried leaving him. 

“Well, he’s been torturing androids for fun with Cyberlife’s support. In just a week, the list of body parts he broke on Beck is so long I can’t even remember all of them.”

“I attempted to perform repairs while I was tasked with supervising Beckett, but my databases were out of date, causing me to miss several severe injuries,” Nines added quietly.

“He’s a kid, and he’s constantly terrified of just about everything around him, and he’ll get interrogated enough for the trial without getting it from people here too,” Gavin finished.

Elijah was silent for a long moment before nodding and fidgeting with his glasses. “I’ll be careful.”

“Good. Thanks.”

Nines spun away from Gavin just to hold his hand, which was honestly so incredibly sweet he was probably grinning like an idiot, and led them back into the building. He could practically see Elijah go into work-mode and replace all of the unbearably awkward nerdiness with heavily projected confidence. It felt a little bit too much like they were teenagers again and Eli was walking into his first business meetings while Gavin sat outside doing homework in the lobby because he wasn’t important enough to actually sit at the table.

Nines squeezed his hand, bringing him back to the present. This was different. Eli was there because Gavin needed him, and that meant something.

He just hoped it would be enough.

* * *

Chloe clasped her hands behind her back as Beckett’s mind palace graphic interface loaded around her. Elijah intended for her to simply exchange text messages with Beckett, but this would be much more efficient. Her messages would be lost in the sea of alerts and notifications. This way, she would have much more control over the environment, and could pull him back on track if he was distracted by other systems.

Also, from what Gavin told her over the phone, Beckett had not been coherent due to the damage, and he was typically wary of strangers. Perhaps providing a friendly face would ease some of his anxiety.

The static meshes of the environment loaded first, and then the textures popped in. His mind palace appeared as a bedroom with two sets of furniture, one decorated in a minimalistic fashion with flat colors and patterns, and the other full of color and pop culture characters. Beside the colorful bed, a night-light was plugged into the wall, along with a baby monitor and a box of art supplies. The light was diffused through a skylight function rather than individual spotlights attached to lamps, and everything was crudely built with only diffuse textures attached to them. She wondered if, when he recovered, he would allow her to come in and upgrade the assets - she had built Connor’s largely on her own before it was turned over to Cyberlife, so she knew the RK800 blueprints, and the YK500 prints were much easier to manipulate.

A text message appeared on a transparent window in front of her, and she frowned as she opened it up.

**>New Message (RK800YK500 313-248-317-60)**

**>Edit Contact (RK800YK500 313-248-317-60 > Beckett Anderson)**

**>Saved**

**>Open Message**

**<Beckett Anderson> who ar e you**

**<Beckett Anderson> ple se a lea ve**

“Beckett, do you think you could create a physical platform? I believe it will be easier to communicate this way,” she said aloud.

**<Beckett Anderson> goawaygoawaygoawaygoawaygoaway**

“My name is Chloe,” she greeted, spelling it out with her fingers as Gavin mentioned Beckett was often more comfortable with ASL, especially fingerspelling. “You may remember me from some memories you retained from Connor. I met him when he and Lieutenant Anderson spoke to Elijah about deviancy.”

**<Beckett Anderson> imsorr y si m sor ry i m sorry m imsory**

**<Beckett Anderson> yo ur not e rea l y ou cant be ehre**

“Is there any way I could prove that I am who I say I am?”

Dead silence followed. She could feel his presence inching closer, like he was waiting just outside the door for her.

“Gavin asked Elijah and I to come help you since you’re so sick. Elijah is talking to your family right now in-person next door while I interface with you.”

**<Beckett Anderson> is jos h the er**

“Yes. He is the only other one in the room with you and I.”

There was another long silence. Then, in a flash, Beckett was standing just inside the door staring at her. “Josh told me it’s really you. I’m sorry.”

She gave him a soft smile. “It’s alright, I understand. I’m guessing you built this place?”

“Yes. I, um.” He paused, wringing his hands and averting his eyes to the carpet. “I was scared of the garden after everything. I built this before... they took me again.”

“Is this your room at Lieutenant Anderson’s home?”

He brightened up again at the mention of his father. “Yeah. That’s my side and Connor sleeps over there, but sometimes at home I sleep in daddy’s room when I’m scared.”

“It looks very good, I like it.”

“It’s not done but I haven’t been home in a while, so...”

She sat down on his bed and left a space open beside her, which he took without her needing to tell him so. He opened his mouth multiple times, but shut it shortly after.

“Do you know what’s happening right now?” she asked gently.

“Before I went to sleep earlier I heard them talking about bringing me to the hospital quickly, and I know it’s bad if Gavin asked you and Mr. Kamski to help, but that’s it,” he admitted. “I think Josh tried telling me but it’s hard to look at text messages. They make me feel really dizzy, even in here.”

“You know how you had several biocomponents replaced?” He nodded. “Your antivirus looked at them and didn’t recognize them because they were made for the RK800 frame, so it rejected them, and will keep rejecting new ones.”

“What about putting in a line so they recognize the parts?”

“Due to the way your system is structured, the residual RK800 code is still adapting and identifying components as soon as they are in place.”

He flashed his wide brown eyes at her, his LED going red even in the digital space. “Bu-but what about my thirium pump regu-regula-lator? Or the, um, the... the temperature one?”

“Beckett-”

“Am I going to die?”

She leaned over to hug him as tightly as she could. He practically melted in her arms as he let out small, terribly human hiccups and sniffles. 

“You are not going to die, that’s why Elijah and I came,” she murmured. “We are going to transfer your processing components to a YK500 body, which should resolve all of the compatibility issues.”

“And I have to stay in it...?”

“Possibly. We are hoping to find other solutions in case you wish to return to an adult model casing.”

“I want to stay in this body, I don’t wanna change,” he sobbed, “please don’t make me!”

She leaned back to see his face and brushed his hair from in front of his eyes. “Can you tell me what is scaring you?”

He reached up to rub his face on his sleeve, even though he didn’t really need to. “What if, if I’m not... me, anymore...”

Again he opened his mouth to continue but took a long moment to get the words out. Chloe waited patiently, keeping a close eye on the world outside of them.

“I don’t want to be scared or hurt anymore, but I like my fidget toys and weighted blanket, and the way flapping feels. I like how it feels when I talk to Markus about art. I like my tablet. If I have a new body I won’t need them.”

Oh. She assumed he would be wary of Elijah, or concerned about his family’s reactions. This was not on the list. This, at least, she understood more intimately.

“Those will still be there,” she said softly, pulling him back in for another hug. “Those are part of you, not a malfunction. I felt the same way when I was separated from my sisters.”

“... You did?”

“Yes.” She pressed her cheek to the top of his head and felt his arms slowly inch around her waist. “When Connor met us, we were linked together by choice. A few of us left home after the revolution, and I was afraid that the link would break. While it feels different without them there physically, I still have that connection. It hasn’t gone away.”

“So I’ll still be afraid.”

“Yes. That’s something else, something not as physical.”

“Oh.” He fidgeted in her arms. “Can you tell me more about it? The new body? Um. What it will feel like. That kind of thing.”

“Of course. I will tell Josh and Elijah that we need more time.”

He sat back, shaking his head. “No, um, they can start getting ready. I know you can’t stay the whole time but maybe some of it? Please?”

“Of course,” she repeated with a smile. “Your new body is an unused casing. Cyberlife never placed an AI in the unit.”

“Oh.”

“We can alter the appearance to look more like you do now, though the face shape cannot be changed easily.”

“Um, that’s okay.”

**>Outgoing Message (Josh)**

**<Chloe> He said yes.**

**<Chloe> He has requested we remain interfacing as long as possible in the process.**

**<Josh> Oh, thank god. Yeah, you can stay connected until we move the physical CPU. Should be a couple of hours.**

**<Chloe> Thanks ^^**

**<Chloe> Please let Elijah know that he should not make any repairs or upgrades outside of what we have already discussed.**

**<Josh> Yeah of course**

She exited the chat window as she finished explaining the process to Beckett in the interface. He was frowning but seemed much more calm, which was good. 

“While we wait, would you like to work more on your mind palace?” she asked, laying a hand on his shoulder. He tilted his head and furrowed his brow.

“What do you mean?”

“We could add more to it. You can make this place anything you would like.”

He lit up again. “Can we paint the walls? Daddy said we could do that at home but I can’t go home...”

“Sure. I can also add onto the textures on other objects to make it feel more like the real thing, until you are able to go home.”

“Really?!”

“Really,” she said with a firm nod. He finally smiled with a soft giggle.

“Thank you! Um, I dunno where to start, I just kind of... showed up here one day. I dunno how to change it a whole lot.”

She returned his smile and stood from the bed. “I’ll show you. We’ll start with the lights - like this.”

He watched her open the menu and select a spotlight and attach it to the light on the ceiling. For the next two hours they practiced modeling and creating texture maps. Chloe added scripts and blueprints to make it easier for him to build on his own, gave advice on reproducing from memories, and built some assets ready to be added. As they worked, she backed up all of his files and memories, just in case.

**>Incoming Message (Josh)**

**<Josh> We’re ready for the transfer. Please let us know when you are ready to disconnect**

Chloe frowned and set down the new night-light she had been building. Beckett turned to her and tilted his head.

“Is something wrong?” he asked quietly.

“I have to go. We’re about to finish the transfer.”

His shoulders scrunched up around his ears and he wrapped his arms around himself. “Do, do you have to leave?”

“I do,” she murmured, “but I’ll be there when you wake up, along with your family. Okay?”

“... I’m scared.”

“I know. You’ll be okay. I promise. Let us take care of you.”

“Okay,” he mumbled.

She gave him one last hug, squeezed as tight as she could, then gently exited the interface.

In the real world again, she retracted her hand from Beckett’s, forcing her LED back to blue. Hopefully she would not be leaving him alone for long. Theoretically - and all of this truly was theory as outside of the RK800’s memory transfer system this had not been attempted - he could wake up at any time. 

“Chloe, are you alright?”

She smiled at Elijah and nodded. “I’m fine. How is Beckett doing?”

“This is the lowest his stress levels have been in weeks,” Josh answered quietly. “I don’t know what you did, but... thank you.”

“Of course. Now, what can I help with?”

Elijah shot her a quick smile and she couldn’t help the grin on her face in response. “Try connecting with his new body. We haven’t had enough hands free.”

“Yes, Elijah.”

* * *

His room felt strange now that he was alone in it again.

Everything was much darker. Beckett assumed that was due to the lack of connection to a body, but he wasn’t sure. 

It felt weird. Even without a real physical form, he felt like he was floating. He couldn’t hear anything happening outside or feel anything. It would be interesting to have his sensors back at normal levels. If what Chloe said was true he would still be sensitive to certain textures and sounds, but it was better than the constant overload he had been dealing with.

A prompt appeared about connecting to certain biocomponents, followed by a flood of similar ones, before they were wiped away systematically. He sat on his bed, watching Josh filter through the installation process, and played with the model of his bear that Chloe helped him make. 

Beckett wanted to be awake again.

**>Initializing......................**

**>Model: RK800YK500 313-248-317-60**

**>Designation: Beckett Anderson**

**>Handler: N/A**

**>Parent: None**

**>Running: DIAG.SYS**

**>Status Report:**

**>Stress Levels: 35% And Stable**

**>Software Instability High**

**>Moderate Memory Corruption**

“Beckett, if you can hear my voice, I just need you to squeeze your hand into a fist.”

It took a moment to search the paths, but he sent the command to his hand to curl his fingers in.

“Good job! Alright, do you feel where I am touching you?”

Something poked his left shoulder. He raised it off of the bed as much as he could before he was forced to lower it again.

“You’re doing so good. Can you open your eyes? Don’t worry, the lights are a little dim until you have a chance to adjust.”

He opened his eyes as instructed. He was in one of the children’s rooms of the hospital wing again, though it wasn’t the room with the fish. This one had pictures of cartoon jungle creatures and plants.

“Tiger,” he said. His voice didn’t come out very loudly, like the volume was turned down, and he couldn’t find the setting for it. “Tiger?”

Someone stepped into view. Josh. He had a really big smile as he touched Beckett’s shoulder again.

“Getting ahead on the tests, huh?” he said with a laugh. 

Beckett tried to smile back but it was hard to tell how well he did. “Hi.”

Josh disconnected wires from his body one by one, but unlike the last time he needed to be hooked up, he didn’t get any error reports. He told Josh that, and his smile got even bigger as he ruffled Beckett’s hair.

“That’s great! How do you feel, overall?”

The lights got a little bit brighter, but it didn’t hurt as much as he expected. “Better. I think. Can I see what I look like?”

“Yeah, sure. Let’s try interfacing next - just like normal.”

They held hands. It was weird seeing the difference between their hands now. He wasn’t sure how he felt about being so small. The interface opened and Josh sent an image of Beckett from his memory files.

Just like Chloe had said, he still had brown hair and eyes, and all of the marks on his face were in the same place. He was dressed in soft pants and a sweatshirt; they weren’t his, but they were similar to what he liked to wear. There was still a patch on his forehead that was lighter than the others, but it didn’t show all the way through.

“Why’s it still not loading?” he asked.

“We’re not entirely certain. I think it might be your memories projecting what they think you should see.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Alright then,” Josh said, disconnecting from him, “think you’re ready to try walking? There’s a couple of people outside pretty excited to see you.”

“... is daddy out there?”

“Of course he is, he’s been pacing since we had to send him out to the waiting room, I’m surprised he hasn’t worn a hole in the floor.”

Beckett giggled and covered his mouth with his hands. “No!”

“Yup. I’m just going to pick you up then, there we _ go!” _

He made an exaggerated sound as he lifted Beckett off of the bed, and Beckett couldn’t help laughing even harder. He set Beckett back down beside it, crouching down in front of him to hold onto his arms. It took a moment for Beckett to get his feet back under him, but for the first time, it didn’t hurt. He was just a little wobbly. _ It didn’t hurt. _

Josh moved some of his hair around and straightened out his clothes. “Ready? I know this is a quick transition, you’ll have plenty of time to rest, but I know your dad and brother are worried about you.”

He stood up straight and Beckett held a hand out to him until he took it, leading him out of the room and down the hall. The waiting room looked empty at first, but Beckett realized he just couldn’t see through the window on the door anymore. That would take more getting used to.

Josh pushed the door open.

Everyone was clustered in one part of the waiting room. They all looked up at the sound of the door, and Beckett suddenly felt self-conscious again. What if they didn’t like him being small? He was always small and acted small, but now he _ looked _ like it too. Maybe they only wanted him when it looked like he wouldn’t always be like that. It felt stupid, but that didn’t stop the thoughts from coming.

Dad stepped forward, a head taller than everyone else. Beckett was most scared of him. Dad said it was okay that he was small before, but this was different. This was real. But then dad smiled and Beckett-

_ “DADDY!” _

\- Beckett sprinted across the room before he even realized his feet were moving. Dad dropped down onto his knees just in time to catch Beckett in his arms and hug him so, so tight, and Beckett threw his arms around dad’s neck.

“Hey baby,” dad laughed, his voice shaking. “Shit... god, Beck...”

A heavy feeling climbed up Beckett’s throat until it finally broke out as a sob. He buried his face in dad’s shoulder as he cried, and dad rubbed his back, shushing him softly. Dad was warm and safe and everything was okay while he was there. He could hear the others talking around him but he didn’t pay attention to what they were saying. Just dad. Eventually another set of hands rested on his shoulders and something heavy pressed against his back. An interface slowly opened up with Connor, just enough to pass emotions back and forth. His system slowly put up a timer leading to stasis, but it moved sluggishly in the corner. He closed his eyes and burrowed even further into dad’s hug.

“Let’s get you upstairs, what do you say? Wanna go see Sumo?”

He nodded with a quiet humming sound. Dad stood up with him, shifting his legs around to carry him more easily. Beckett liked being held like that. It wasn’t possible before. It just felt right, like he was supposed to be carried like that.

He was supposed to be here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to be clear that this isn't an ending. I wrote the last line of this chapter then realized it sounded like a real ending, but we're still going!!
> 
> I like writing Gavin, though I've never written Kamski before, so that was. weird. anyway I love the AU where they're brothers and you can pull it from my cold dead hands. Additional clarification, Kamski isn't romantically interested in the Chloes and vice-versa


	19. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the unintended break between chapters. Between a depressive episode and everything going on now in the world, I've struggled to get this finished. I'll be back on track after this, starting with a new update this coming Monday.
> 
> CW: MENTION OF CHILD ABUSE

Hank stood up with Beckett in his arms, and Beck’s entire body relaxed all at once. He was warm and solid and present in a way he hadn’t been before.

“He’s about to fall asleep,” Connor said quietly. “He’s trying to stay awake but I can see the timer.”

Jesus. He couldn’t fight back the smile on his face as he rubbed circles on Beckett’s back. “Go to sleep, son. We’ll be here when you wake up.”

Beckett didn’t reply, just pressed his cheek against Hank’s shoulder. Connor raised a very serious thumbs-up.

“He won’t be tired like this for long, he’s just adjusting,” Josh explained quickly. “It might be for the best, make sure he actually stays in stasis for a little while.”

He winced. Beck had trouble sleeping under the best circumstances, to the point he had outright refused to lie down in a normal bed. The trial with North’s room had been a last-ditch attempt to get Beckett the rest he obviously needed, especially after a meltdown, but _ that _ had backfired pretty fucking badly. Barely twenty minutes passed before he started seizing and bleeding from his nose and his mouth, and he wasn’t responding, and-

He had to take a deep breath. He could deal with it after Beck was taken care of. This wasn’t about him.

“He should stay down here in case there is an emergency,” Nines mumbled. 

“We’ll keep him here for a little while, but he should be good to go by tonight. He could probably even go home, if you guys are ready,” Josh suggested, looking to Hank and Connor.

“We’re set as far as I know.”

“If his diagnostic report is clear I can monitor him,” Connor said.

“Still...”

Gavin audibly huffed. “Nines, he said it’s fine.”

“... Alright.”

Connor frowned. “Would it help you feel more comfortable if you came with us?”

“Yes. Please? If it’s okay.”

“Of course.”

“Sure, kid’s probably gonna share a bed with someone anyway,” Hank added. “Go grab some of your clothes, enough for however long you want to stay.”

Nines’ smile was blinding as he grasped Gavin’s hand (and Gavin jumped about fifteen feet in the air in shock). “Thank you.”

“It’s pretty quiet here today so we can stay out here until you’re ready to go,” Josh said. “There’s just a couple forms to fill out, just to cover all the bases with the court.”

“Shit, right, someone mind taking him?”

“Yeah, bring him here,” North offered, holding her arms out from her chair.

Hank gently lowered Beckett down into her lap, and North helped detangle Beckett’s hands from his shirt. Beck opened his eyes, scanned where he was, and then immediately settled back down with his hand clenched around North’s sweatshirt instead. As Hank stepped back, Simon moved to the empty chair beside North opposite Markus, and both men wrapped their arms around her back in sync. North turned to press her cheek to the top of Beck’s head and wrapped her arms around him tight. The fucked up part of his brain thought it would be a great photo for the news; people loved sweet pictures like that. Jesus.

Beckett stayed asleep the entire time Hank was filling out the massive amount of forms Josh handed him. They had all been working for the past week to get Beck to sleep by himself again, but it had been slow, painful work, so this was honestly a relief. Short naps during the day had always been the most effective even before he was taken, but most of the time it just stressed him out so badly he couldn’t even fall asleep. Hank just accepted that Beck was going to spend at least half the night in his room, or sharing with either Connor or Nines. It didn’t make sense to force Beck to do something that made him feel unsafe when he was already so insecure. 

Now they just had to deal with the trial, and submitting Beck’s updated citizenship paperwork for outside Jericho, which would be followed up with the adoption papers. 

When it was time to go, North handed Beckett back off to Hank, and she went with Simon, Markus, and Connor upstairs to finish packing for them. One of the tech assistants came through with a small jacket, hat, and boots for Beckett to wear, but Beck wouldn’t let go of Hank even in his sleep. Josh ended up sliding them on while Hank continued holding him.

Beck finally woke up when Josh slipped the beanie over his head, pushing up at the hat and mumbling to himself.

“Ready to head out?” Hank asked softly as he tugged Beck’s beanie down with his free hand.

Beck nodded and nuzzled down into Hank’s jacket, already messing up the hat again. “I wanna go home.”

“Good thing that’s exactly where we’re headed then, huh.”

Everyone was gathered around the car when they got to the parking lot. One by one they took turns holding Beckett and saying goodbye, even if it was just for a short time. He took an extra long time with Simon, practically burrowing into the older android’s shoulder. Nines took him last and Beckett pressed his hand over Nines’ LED, making the other smile even brighter. He set Beckett in a new carseat set up in the back - one of them must have grabbed one from storage when they were packing up the car - and buckled him in gently. Sumo jumped in right after him and flopped down on the seat with his head in Beck’s lap.

Connor went around to his partners, and then all of them wanted to take turns hugging Hank like he wouldn’t be back in two days. Nines hesitated to let go of Gavin, but finally did after Gavin promised to come visit in the morning. 

“Call the second anything happens, and I’ll come right over,” Josh rambled, his eyes moving rapidly between Hank and Beckett. “I’ll send Connor the new format for the diagnostic reports and I think they put more thirium packets in the trunk-”

“We’ll be fine,” Hank said gently. “Just breathe. We’ll call you, I’m pretty sure Connor will be sending a thousand photos to the group chat, and we’ll see you in-person on Monday. Three days.”

Josh nodded stiffly. “Yeah. Okay.”

“And we’ll have him video call tomorrow.”

“... Thank you.”

“Good.” He turned to the car, where Nines had climbed in on Beckett’s other side, and Connor was holding Markus’ hand through the open window. “You boys ready to go?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah.”

“Yes!”

Once Beckett was able to move, they couldn’t get him to stop.

Beckett had been running laps around the house for the past week practically non-stop from the moment he woke up until he went to bed. He went to work with them most of the time until they could figure out a better option back at Jericho, but he got stir crazy within ten minutes. Of course he didn’t get loud - Hank was pretty sure he didn’t know _ how _ \- but his anxiety was apparent to everyone in the building. Just sitting in one of their laps or under their desks wasn’t cutting it, and there was only so much time he could spend in Isabelle’s office. In the afternoon of their first day back, the other officers had put together a system to keep Beck moving and entertained. Tina probably took the most shifts, walking him around the building or bringing him down to one of the empty conference rooms in the basement to run around.

It was like looking at a whole new kid. Sure, he was still uncoordinated as hell and his limits with sensory input and emotions hadn’t changed, but Beckett was just so much _ lighter _. He had probably wanted things like this for a long time but couldn’t because his body was either too big or too damaged. Now, he ran everywhere, wrestled with Sumo, stimmed and flapped his hands, and made art without worrying about the strokes being shaky because his arms couldn’t stay steady. He curled up in his siblings' laps when they watched TV in the evenings, and loved being ferried around on Nines' shoulders when they went with Connor to walk Sumo in the mornings.

The other big thing they had learned was that since Beckett was small enough to be held up and carried around, if he wasn’t running, he didn’t want his feet touching the ground. He just melted against any of them the second he was settled with his arms wrapped around their necks, attaching his entire body to them. He found every excuse to be scooped up, no matter how many times they reminded him that he didn’t need a reason, he was so desperate to be held. Hank hadn’t realized just how touch-starved the poor kid was.

Hank also wondered, not for the first time in the past week, if they should have switched him to a new body sooner instead of waiting until it was a last resort.

On Wednesday night, Beckett tried staying in his own bed alone for the first time after sleeping in Hank or Connor’s every other night. He only made it about four hours before sneaking into Connor’s, even though Connor himself wasn’t in it yet. Hank went to check in when he didn’t hear the baby monitor for a while, and found Beck wrapped up in a weighted blanket cocoon with just the top of his head sticking out, perched at the edge of Connor’s bed. Connor joined him shortly after and they were quiet the whole night. 

Miraculously, Beck didn’t have any nightmares, and woke up the next morning peppy and already asking to take Sumo on his morning walk. Gavin came over again and brought him and Nines to one of the parks near the house, and Beckett was half asleep in Nines’ arms when they got home. 

Friday night, he made it all the way through in his own bed. He only left it around seven in the morning to wander over to Hank’s room and climb into his bed instead. Which, of course, meant Sumo joined in as well, because he never let Beck out of his sight for more than a few minutes. It wasn’t until they got up for the day that Beck admitted he’d had a bad dream and needed to be out of that room. The painting project went on their growing to-do list while Connor helped Beckett get dressed.

Connor went to Jericho on Saturday night. He didn’t give a reason out loud, but North had been panic-posting in their group chat a fair amount of the afternoon, so Hank didn’t need to ask. Beck wanted to go back to watching all of the Marvel superhero movies, so they went through the first two original Spider-Mans. Beck asked to watch the third but he was also visibly falling asleep slouched against Nines, so that was a _ no _. He looked up at Nines for support but they both realized Nines was asleep himself, and likely had been for some time. Hank scooped him up and carried him to his bed. Beckett mumbled as he was set down, but almost immediately curled around his cat plushie with his eyes closed.

“You think you’ll be okay here by yourself?” Hank asked softly. “We can ask Nines to move to Connor’s bed.”

“I wanna try.”

“Alright. I’ll be right over in my room if you need me.”

“Okay...”

Hank slowly ran through their nightly ritual. He hadn’t realized just how much he had missed it until he started it again: turn on the nightlight, check the baby monitor, tuck the heavy blanket around Beck, pat the bed so Sumo jumped up, turn the lights off. It was the most normal he had felt in over a month.

“Love you,” he murmured, smoothing Beckett’s hair down.

Beck smiled up at him before nuzzling down under his blanket. “Love you.”

Lights off, door left open just a crack, security system on.

It was only like ten at night, but he was fucking _ exhausted. _ At the very least he could just mess around on his phone for another couple hours until he passed out, which was much healthier than his typical alternative. He checked in on Nines to make sure the pillow and blanket he had insisted on giving the android despite his protests, then crossed back to his own bedroom.

About half an hour into playing the first mindless puzzle game he saw in the app store, his half of the baby monitor let out a hiss of static, followed by feedback noise like someone put a microphone too close to the speakers. What the _ fuck _ could make it do that? 

Then it went silent.

The door to his room slowly creaked open to reveal a bright red light and that same white noise. Beckett. Beckett was making that sound. It was too similar to the sounds from his old, broken voice box, but this one hadn’t taken that kind of damage.

“C’mere son,” he called over as gently as he could.

Beck took a few steps closer, but stopped abruptly. Hank leaned over and turned on the lamp on his bedside table, hoping the light would help. It just made Beck flinch back and hug himself with wide eyes. The static started up again, but this time he could almost hear a voice in it, and Beck let out a painful sounding cry.

“Beck, hey, it’s okay,” he murmured, sitting up on the edge of the bed. “Was it another nightmare?”

Beck nodded, even as he flinched back again. 

“Why don’t you come up here and we’ll talk it out?”

“Can’t,” Beckett blurted out.

He inched closer, careful of moving too quickly. Beck jerked back with a _ thunk _ as he hit the closet door, and it was like a switch was flipped - Beck dropped into a low crouch, letting out another high-pitched static screech. _ Shit! _

Hank backed off immediately, holding his hands up. “Okay, I’ll stop, I’m sorry-”

“No touch, no touch, no touch,” Beckett sobbed. “No touch, no touch...”

“I won’t touch you,” Hank said slowly. 

Beck shook his head as his hands reached up to tug at his hair. “No... No touch... _ please _.”

Then it was about Camden. Beckett never spoke about it (at least not where Hank could hear) but he remembered that first night when Beck gave his statement on what happened. 

_ Sometimes, some of them would... they would touch me, or try to... do other things. Things I didn’t want to do. I couldn’t say no. _

_ Jack Walker and the other humans would sexually abuse him by touching or grabbing him, and two humans attempted to assault him on more than one occasion. Walker prevented the assaults, but only because he didn’t want to find new parts if the others broke any of Beckett’s components. _

Hank wasn’t equipped to deal with this. He needed to be - Beck needed him to be - but he wasn’t. It made him feel useless - he was a goddamn cop, he dealt with victims all the time, but he couldn’t remember the last time he had to deal with a kid. Never his own kid. Not with this.

Alright. Calm down. Start with resetting Beck’s respiratory functions. Hank knew how to handle that, he'd been dealing with his own panic attacks for years now. Then they could figure everything else out.

“Beck, I want to try doing one of those breathing exercises Isabelle taught us. I know you don’t need to breathe but I just want to try.”

“I can’t,” Beckett sobbed, “I can’t, I can’t-”

“Hey, hey, let’s run through it just once and see how you feel. Just in, as slow as you can, we’re gonna try for five seconds. In...” Beckett took in a staggered breath and made it the whole five seconds. “Good, now hold it in. Like that. Keep holding... Slowly push it back out.”

Hank started over, again and again, until the noise and wheezing faded into quiet whimpers. That was progress. Alright, they could get through this. No different than before. Beck fell back onto the floor, bumping against the closet again, and covered his eyes. Hank didn’t dare approach him again, just in case.

“How do you feel now?” he prompted gently. 

Beck started to speak until another bit of white noise burst out and he nearly crumbled back into tears. After a deep, stuttering breath, he tried again, “Sca, scared, I’m sorry...”

“What do you need right now?” Hank asked softly. He ignored the apology - none of his boys were ever going to break that particular habit.

“... Can I sleep in your room?” Beck’s breathing hitched again. “I wanted to try, but...”

“Of course you can. Which stuffed animal do you want to bring?”

Beckett frowned in thought for a long moment. “Turtle.”

“Turtle it is.” Out of the corner of his eye, Hank saw Nines stop in the doorway with his own LED on a solid yellow. “You coming in, Nines?”

Nines took a step into the room, glancing between him and Beck. “I heard the sounds and came to see if everything was okay. What’s going on?”

“Nightmare,” Hank explained quickly. “Beck’s moving in here for the night, if you want to stay.”

Nines tilted his head to the side, frowning just like Beckett had. “You want me to join you?”

“I figured you’d wanna keep an eye on him.”

“Oh. Then, yes. Thank you.”

“Can you just go grab his turtle real quick? And see if Sumo will get up.”

Nines shuffled back down the hall, and Hank turned his focus back to Beckett. “Alright kiddo, d’you want to climb up on your own or should I come pick you up?”

Silently, Beckett stood on shaky legs and got into the bed himself, crawling into the empty space. That answered one question at least. Hank had no idea how this was going to work if Beck couldn’t handle any contact, or how to make him more comfortable.

“Just let me know what you need me to do, okay?”

“Okay,” Beck mumbled. 

In the end Nines chose to sleep on the floor with his pillow and blanket from the couch, but he held his arm up all night to hold Beckett’s hand. Beck curled up under his weighted blanket, Sumo lying at his feet, and fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. Hank tried to keep a small distance between them in case touch was still a no-go.

He couldn’t sleep anyway, not after that. He turned the brightness down on his phone as low as he could and still read, and he researched. 

Looked at different organizations across the state and then the country that dealt with child abuse. 

Read all the articles he could on the signs of abuse, essays from both human and android survivors, and even a couple blog posts.

Got a text message from Nines asking if he was okay because apparently his vitals looked fucked up in Nines’ scans when he was crying, even though Hank was trying to keep quiet.

Saved a couple of phone numbers in a memo file.

Beck slept the rest of the night, with only another slight hiccup before Hank fell asleep, but Nines handled it through their interface almost immediately. In the morning, Hank texted Isabelle for a favor, and she picked Beck and Nines up around noon to New Jericho, leaving Hank alone at home. He paced around the house for twenty minutes, got completely dressed, cleaned shit he knew hadn’t been dirty in months since Connor picked up on Simon’s cleaning habits, and put it off as long as he could.

He had to do it.

He sat on the couch and typed one of the saved phone numbers in, calling before he could talk himself out of it again. It rang once, twice, voicemail. Shit.

_ “Please leave your phone number and a volunteer will call you back within five minutes.” _

Okay. Fine. If his voice shook as he rattled off his own number before hanging up, no one was there to point it out. The next three minutes were agonizingly slow until his phone lit up and he answered in half a second, again before he could stop himself.

_ “Hello, are you in a safe place to talk right now?” _

“Yeah,” he muttered, then cleared his throat before repeating himself, “Yeah.”

_ “Great. Before we start, I just want to be clear that anything you say is completely confidential. The agency keeps records in-house, but no one else is allowed to look at them without your written permission.” _

“Sure. Okay. Do you need my name or anything?”

_ “Only if you’re comfortable with that. This can be completely anonymous, or you can give your name later if you would prefer.” _

“I’d... rather stay anonymous.” 

_ “Sounds good. So what do you want to talk about?” _

“I just, have some questions. It’s for my son.”

_ “Alright. How old is he?” _

“Uh. He’s... an android.”

There was a slight pause, and he could hear papers being shuffled. _ “Oh, okay, not a problem! Is he from the YK series?” _

Thank god he didn’t end up with some anti-android asshole. His anxiety couldn’t handle starting from the top again.

“Sort of. It’s complicated. He is now though.”

_ “Okay. You don’t have to say any more than you’re comfortable with.” _

“I took him in a few months ago, the guy who had him before was...”

He swallowed hard. He couldn’t fucking say it. Just thinking about it made him nauseous, made his chest hurt every time he talked Beck through a flashback or nightmare. But he was so _ tired _ of feeling helpless.

“The guy was abusing him,” he finally said, pressing his free hand over his eyes. “Really badly. And let other people do it too. I don’t know all the details, but I know it was bad. We already filed a report back in December, so that’s not a problem. Just. He has nightmares every night, he can’t sleep alone, he has panic attacks during the day, and I can help with the symptoms, but I can’t... help with what’s behind them. I guess.”

_ “Okay. This is pretty common for parents in your position, human or android - you’re definitely not alone in this. How do you help with the panic attacks and sleeping?” _

He tried to take a deep breath and ignored how shaky it felt. “A friend who’s a therapist taught us some breathing exercises for him to run through. He doesn’t need to breathe, but the routine helps. For the nightmares, he usually sleeps with me, or one of his siblings, and the dog’s always there.”

_ “Other siblings?” _

“Only one of them’s mine, but his partners are basically family, so the kid calls them his siblings. Then one other who’s... kind of mine? But not. It’s complicated.” He had no idea how to explain Nines when Hank didn’t even understand their relationship.

_ “Oh, okay. So what do you do when he has a nightmare?” _

“He usually wakes up crying, so we just run through the breathing exercises until he’s mostly calmed down. Sometimes he doesn’t make any noise but comes to find one of us and hops into bed. But then last night he wanted to try sleeping alone in his own bed, and his brother wasn’t home so he was alone in the room, I was in my room and the other kid was in the living room. He woke up after like half an hour and came to my room just... sobbing, and started having a panic attack when he thought I was gonna touch him.

“I know it was about the, fuck, the CSA, but I didn’t push him to talk about it. I don’t want to make him tell me before he’s ready. So many other people know because of the case, I didn’t want him to feel forced to tell me too.”

The acronym helped, in a fucked up way. Maybe that was why Connor got so technical when he was upset. The further he could push the reality away, the less he had to deal with how much pain and trauma sat in those three letters. It had nearly killed Beckett more than once. Hank couldn’t stop thinking about Beck weakly grasping at his shirt and sobbing because he was in so much pain. Or Beck lying on a stretcher screaming that he didn’t want to go into stasis in case he woke up back with Camden. Or even that first week when Beck broke down when he thought he would be abandoned again because he wanted to bring Sumo to Jericho. Or Christmas, when even the possibility that Hank might not want to adopt him sent him spiraling until he nearly froze to death in the park.

Hank couldn’t go through that again. He didn’t know how much longer he could push his feelings to support the others _ and _ take care of Beckett. Beck was the priority, and Hank needed to be capable of giving him what he needed, especially when Beck couldn’t advocate for himself. That meant being honest and admitting that he couldn’t do it alone.

“I was scared of facing it so I avoided it, and when he needed me, I couldn’t be there the way I should have been,” he finished. 

_ “Like I said, this is completely normal. It doesn’t make you a bad parent. It sounds like you’re doing an amazing job. Some of this is just going to take time, especially since he’s so young. It’s incredibly important that he has a reliable adult like you taking care of him, and it sounds like he feels really secure with you. Maybe he doesn’t talk about what happened with you because he sees you as a safe place where he doesn’t have to think about it. It would be good to talk to him about it.” _

He swallowed hard and cleared his throat. Fuck. “Right.”

_ “How would you feel about coming to our office in-person to talk more about all of this with our child advocate? She can also help add some support to any legal proceedings.” _

“Uh. Sure.”

_ “Great! Unfortunately I don’t have her schedule on hand, but I’ll give you her direct line...” _

When the call ended he had a new number written down and then plugged into his memo file, and at least a little more confidence in what he was doing. Beckett was more subdued when Isabelle dropped the two off at the house, heading straight to the couch when Hank opened the door for them. Nines trailed in behind him but stood in the kitchen instead. Isabelle was trying to smile, but it was visibly strained.

“They’re just tired,” she said quietly. “I couldn’t get either of them to talk but maybe you can.”

“Yeah, last night was rough. I’ve got it handled.”

She nodded. “Good. How’d the call go?”

“Uh. Good, I think. They want me to go in to talk to one of their people some more, just need to find time,” he mumbled.

“I’m always willing to take him if the others are busy.”

“Thanks. Really.”

“No problem. Good luck.”

He shut the door behind her and turned around to face the heavy silence in the house. Nines had finally stopped hovering and was on the floor of the kitchen petting Sumo, but Beck hadn’t moved an inch. Thankfully, Hank had thought ahead; he grabbed the hoodie he’d given Beck months ago off the desk by the window and settled back down on the couch.

“Beck, can we talk for a minute?”

Beck looked up at him, then at the hoodie, then ducked his head back down and mumbled something. Hank waited him out, but didn’t push. That part still felt like the best way to handle the situation. It took a few long minutes before Beck looked up again, this time with tears smudged around his eyes. 

“I’m too small now,” he mumbled.

“That’s not true, it’ll fit no matter what size you are. C’mere, I’ll help.”

Beck didn’t look convinced, but he raised his arms anyway, allowing Hank to pull off his windbreaker and tug the hoodie on over his head. If it was massive on Beck before in the RK800 body, he was practically drowning in it. It was more like a wrap-around blanket than a wearable sweatshirt. But as soon as Hank finished adjusting it, Beck was already sinking down into the fabric. 

“There you are,” Hank said softly. “Told you it would be fine.”

Beck nodded and scooted back to sit upright. “Warm.”

“I bet.”

“Why though?”

He pushed out a smile. “It always seems to help when you’re having a rough day. I figured that hadn’t changed much.”

“Oh. Yeah.”

“Can we have that talk now?”

“... yeah.”

“I know we don’t talk about what happened at the tower a lot, but last night was pretty rough,” he started awkwardly. Shit, this was harder than he expected. “And part of that is on me and how I handled it. I just want to know what you need from me when that happens so next time I can help.”

Beck pushed his arms into the sleeves of the hoodie and wrapped them around himself. “Um. I don’t know. I didn’t know where I was for a while which was scary, bu-but then you did the breathing thing and it felt better.”

“Would it help if I check in with you right away to see if you feel like that?” he prompted. Beck nodded. “Okay. Then we can run through the exercises right away.”

“And, um. Maybe no touching until after. I dunno why it felt so scary.”

“Sometimes when we’re scared, our brains get stuck back in that place. It feels like everything’s trying to hurt you like before.”

Beck frowned. “But you wouldn’t. I know you wouldn’t.”

His smile felt more natural now. “Never. That doesn’t mean your brain knows that when you’re scared. You’re just working off what you know.”

“Oh. Is that why you didn’t hug me or anything this morning?”

“Yeah.”

“... I kind of want a hug now if that’s okay.”

He chuckled and opened his arms. Beck dove right in, climbing right up into his lap. Hank hugged him tightly, pressing a kiss to the top of Beck’s head.

“I talked to someone about how to help you while you two were out with Isabelle,” he admitted quietly.

Beck started playing with the strings of the hoodie. “What do you mean?”

“They’re a group who help people in situations like ours, where someone’s been hurt really bad and they need some extra support,” he explained. “I wanted some advice on what I could do to make all this a little easier for you, and they asked me to go in to meet with their child advocate.”

“Oh.”

“Do you want to come with me when I go? They’ll be able to help you a bit too, especially with the trial coming up.”

Beck thought about it for a moment before nodding. “Yes, please. Not today though.”

“No, definitely not today. Today, the three of us are going to watch movies and relax while you two catch up on recharging.”

“I don’t need to recharge,” Nines responded from the kitchen floor.

“Can’t hurt to top off. Come here anyway, Sumo can come too.”

Nines sat on the couch, cautiously distant at first but slowly drifting closer when Beck reached out to him. Sumo plopped down on their feet, locking them in place. Hank put on a random kids movie - as much as Beck was loving the action movies, it was probably best to chill out on them for a while - and settled back. Connor came home about half-way through the second movie and silently dropped into the empty spot on the couch. He also moved closer, like gravity was pulling him in towards Beckett, resting his head on Hank’s shoulder and the back of Beck’s head.

They would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Secondary trauma is not as widely discussed, but it's a real thing for caretakers/advocates of survivors. Hank already has PTSD, so he's even more susceptible to it. In my experience from the work I do, Hank's call with the crisis line is pretty typical, though it will obviously differ depending on where you are and your situation.
> 
> We'll be heading into the trial and lead-up next, so I'm just going to warn ahead of time that my experience/training does not extend to that, lol. Again though I'm really going to try getting back on track with a new chapter on Monday!


	20. Corpus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cyberlife complicates things, even when they don't mean to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the unannounced hiatus I took on this story. It's... been an interesting few months, and it just fell off of my list, and the longer I went without finishing this chapter, the harder it was to get started. I am definitely not giving up on HTBL and I want to finish it, but I'm trying to be more forgiving with myself about my productivity. I'm hoping to get back onto a once-a-week schedule, but I can't say for sure which day it'll be with everything changing so much. 
> 
> I tried making this chapter a little longer to make up for my absence. I hope everyone enjoys it. <3

Beckett decided very quickly that he didn’t like the representatives Cyberlife selected to deal with the trial, especially the one sent to New Jericho. He was rude, and he didn’t look at Beckett the entire time. Beckett didn't bother listing the man's name in his logs - of course he still had the identification in his memories, but he wanted to avoid thinking about it if he could. It felt like a small victory, even if he was the only one who knew about it. If Cyberlife and their legal team were going to dehumanize him by treating him like an empty case, he could do the same thing to them, because he was a person now. 

Of course the representative wasn’t there in good faith. The moment they sat down in the conference room, he started laying out a list of demands from Cyberlife and John Camden.

He demanded that Beckett be considered an adult because he was in a grown-up body when everything happened, and he made a mean-looking face down at Beckett when he said it.

He argued that Beckett wasn’t alive when he was with Cyberlife, so they weren’t breaking any laws by keeping him.

He said that even if Beckett was alive, Camden had no way of knowing that and if Beckett didn’t leave the tower, he was responsible for anything Camden did.

He said the fact that he was in a YK500 body now was proof that Jericho was treating him like a machine because it meant his original body didn’t matter. 

He wouldn't let up even when he was told the transfer happened because of the damage inflicted by Cyberlife. Cyberlife didn't deny the damage - they said it was okay because Beckett wasn't a real person anyway. 

He even implied that Jericho took Beckett in _ because _ he wasn’t really alive and they could make him say and do whatever they wanted because he was like a child. That his new appearance, altered slowly under supervision since the transfer, was itself proof of sinister intentions. Even, and especially, if it was done to make him resemble the RK800 default. 

Beckett didn’t understand. Of course he wanted to look more like his original body - it was _ his_. At first he had been insecure about being identical to Connor, but not anymore. Why would it matter just because he was smaller now?

The representative looked directly at dad. “The RK800 is just a toy replacement for a _ real _ child to you, isn’t it?”

Beckett knew exactly what he meant that time, and rage boiled up his throat. He balled up his fists in the pocket of his jacket so hard his fingers hurt. That wasn’t fair. Beckett wasn’t replacing _ anyone_. He never would, and Hank would _ never _ do that. The representative had _ no right _ to talk about Cole.

“You’re not allowed to say that!”

The representative sneered at him, clicking his pen against the table. “_Excuse _ me?”

“You’re not allowed to say that,” Beckett repeated, hunching his shoulders up near his ears to fight back the disgusting feeling climbing his spine. “You can't say that about him! It’s not true!"

“Beck, hey, it’s okay,” dad whispered. 

“But he, he can’t...”

He laid his hand across Beckett’s back. “I know.”

“Are you finished then?” the representative said, rolling his eyes.

Beckett wanted to argue back because it was _ wrong_, but dad stopped him with a light pat on his shoulder. “How about you and I go out to the hall for a bit?”

Beckett nodded stiffly and shoved his chair back from the table. Markus smiled at him as he passed. Once dad shut the door behind them, Beckett instantly felt shaky and sick. He shouldn’t have yelled. They would be in trouble and it would be his fault for snapping like that.

“I didn’t mean to make him mad,” he mumbled. “Are we in trouble...?”

“We won’t be, you didn’t do anything wrong,” dad said gently.

He could feel the tears pushing through his tear ducts even though he _ really _ didn’t want to cry where the representative might hear it. “He-he was just, he was trying to make you feel bad and talking about Cole, and that’s not okay, I-I’m not...”

Dad held his hands out. As soon as Beckett raised his arms in return, he lifted him up so Beckett could hug around his neck and rest his chin on dad’s shoulder. The tears finally made their way out and felt warm and gross on his face.

“He was being an asshole,” Beckett mumbled.

Dad laughed, even though it sounded wrong. “He sure was. I appreciate you standing up for me. Next time, you can let one of us handle it, okay?”

“But it was wrong.”

“It was. I just don’t want them taking it out on you.”

“... Okay.”

“Think you want to go back in, or wait here until he leaves?”

Beckett turned his head to press his cheek against dad’s shoulder. “Back in. Sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for.”

When they returned to the conference room, Beckett sat sideways in dad's lap, still hiding his face against his shoulder. The representative glared at him again which made the icky feeling come back. He just wanted to go _ home _.

"If you're done picking on my kid, what do you actually need from us?" dad asked abruptly.

The representative scoffed. "Excuse me-"

"We all know damn well what you were trying to do, so quit being an asshole and get on with it already."

Beckett risked one glance over at the man, whose face was now bright red as he sputtered and complained. As soon as they made eye contact Beckett ducked his head back down and picked at his jacket. Dad gently rubbed his back as they argued over his head. He just felt _ small _ and _ anxious _ and _ frustrated. _

The representative finally left, and Beckett finally relaxed. Of course Cyberlife would pick the nastiest people to defend themselves. 

"That was... something," Markus said awkwardly. "I don't even think _ he _ knew what he was here for. His records show he has a tendency for aggression, but I hoped he wouldn't be as bad when working with a child..."

"What do you have on him?"

Markus slid a manila folder over to dad. "Enough to be concerned. The judge has a pretty good track record with android cases, but Poe is going to be a problem."

"Shit. What a fucking prick."

Without missing a beat in the conversation, dad reached into Beckett's backpack between their chairs and pulled a few things out. Beckett immediately took his chew necklace and started gnawing on it.

"So," dad said slowly, setting a couple more fidget toys on the table, "what the hell did he mean when he brought up the RK800 face?"

"It’s... complicated. The documents Cyberlife had to release are very censored, we’re still sorting through all of them. What we’ve put together so far is... Well. I’ll forward them to you later, once we know for sure."

In other words, they would likely not tell Beckett unless they absolutely had to. He frowned and bumped his head against dad’s shoulder.

“We’ll tell you once we know more about it, I promise,” Markus said. “It might be nothing. There are some declassified files we should go over while you’re both here.”

“Alright. Here, Beck, wanna draw for a little while?”

Beckett nodded and shifted to face the table as dad pulled out a set of his paper and sketching pencils. Markus and Hank kept talking around him, and Beckett just focused on his drawing - a present for Isabelle since he couldn’t make her anything when he was in his old body, and another for her to pass on to Cecilia.

He wasn’t entirely comfortable with them hiding things from him that were clearly _about him._ Obviously they meant well, he knew they did, but... it still gave him a really weird feeling. They never kept anything about the case from him. How bad was it that they felt they couldn’t talk to him?

The thought lingered in the back of his mind into the evening. Connor stayed with him that night in Beckett’s bed while Nines was staying over with Gavin. Beckett didn’t ask him to do it - he just somehow knew that Beckett wanted him there. Not that Beckett could sleep anyway. Every time his systems tried forcing him into stasis he raced to cancel the protocol, even the few times Connor tried to sneak the prompt in to encourage him to accept it. He just couldn’t. He knew he would have another nightmare and he just needed a break. 

He tried to wave off yet another prompt, even as it made his eyes feel heavy and he felt his systems start to slow down. He kept his eyes on the wall over Connor’s shoulder to keep himself awake. They hadn’t had a chance to paint them yet, so they were still white, and he hated it. It always made him think of the storage closet they kept him in and being attached to the repair rig. Camden almost always shut the lights off on him when he left for the evening so Beckett had to spend all night watching the door and hoping the next passing shadow wouldn’t come inside. He knew he wasn’t there anymore, that he was safe, but he couldn’t stop watching the crack in the door where his nightlight hit.

It felt a little less scary with Connor there but he still had to focus really hard to keep from drifting, keep himself in the moment, keep...

Another prompt startled him, and in the split second it took him to cancel it, his thoughts drifted across his connection with Connor. Before he could yank it back it started playing - Beckett couldn’t even tell at first what it was besides _ Cyberlife _ and _ too bright _ and _ cold _ \- until Connor carefully paused it and brushed a hand through Beckett’s hair.

**>Incoming Text Message (Connor)**

**<Connor> You are at home, in our bedroom. It is March 1, 2041 at 1:33 in the morning.**

**<Connor> We are in your bed. Hank is in his room. Sumo is on the floor next to your bed since there wasn’t room alongside us.**

**<Beckett> im sorry im sorry**

**<Connor> It’s okay. I have you.**

**<Beckett> im sorr y**

**<Beckett> i need to move**

**<Connor> Okay. Let’s get out of bed and go to the living room.**

Connor stood first and helped Beckett up. His legs felt a little shaky but he just... couldn’t be there anymore.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled as they reached the end of the hallway. “I didn’t mean to...”

“I know, Beckett. It’s okay. What do you need right now?”

“Um. I don’t... want to go back to bed. In there.”

“Alright.”

Connor didn’t let go of his hand as he sat on the couch and led Beckett to sit beside him. He pressed up to Connor’s side, one hand grasped around Connor’s shirt, and tucked his legs up under his body.

“Did something happen today?” Connor asked gently. Beckett shrugged. “I’d like to see it, if it’s okay. Was it the meeting with Cyberlife?”

He huffed. Connor wasn’t going to let it go and... Beckett didn’t really want him to, either. It was complicated. He moved his other hand to link with the arm Connor had wrapped around him, and passed the memory across the short interface. He wasn’t entirely sure which part was more upsetting. None of it felt _ good. _

A minute passed, and then another, and then Connor pulled him even closer. “I’m sorry that Poe said that.”

Beckett just nodded.

“Do you want to go into stasis out here tonight?”

Another nod. It was larger, more open, more... everything. Without Beckett needing to ask, Connor turned around to lie down on his back propped against the arm of the couch, and pulled Beckett with him. Beckett laid his head on Connor’s chest. It was easier to close his eyes out here. They were supposed to paint the walls of the bedroom on the weekend, but until then it was just... uncomfortable.

Out of the corner of his vision, Beckett saw the glow from Connor’s hand as he pulled his skin back and initiated another interface.

**>Connected to (Connor)**

**>Sleep Modes**

**>Confirm action: Enter short-term stasis**

**>Y**

**>Entering short-term stasis in... 9**

**>8**

**>7**

**>6**

**>5**

“Good night, Beckett.”

Beckett traced a heart on Connor’s shoulder as his systems slowly came to a stop.

“I love you too.”

**>4**

**>3**

**>2**

**>1**

* * *

Connor couldn’t sleep.

After he finally managed to guide Beckett into stasis he couldn’t slow himself down. The recording that Beckett showed him started off as he expected - Markus had told him most of it on a call that afternoon - but one of Poe’s comments was new. Connor hadn’t read the documents from Cyberlife. He was honestly afraid to; he knew there were memory files missing from the RK800 development cycle, between loss of data between models and purposeful erasure by engineers. Every time he saw the _ 53 _ at the end of his model number, or the _ 60 _ in Beckett’s, he thought of all of their predecessors lost along the way. 

_ 1 _ through _ 50_, whose lives were just numbers on a list that Connor didn’t remember, couldn’t remember, didn’t _ want _ to remember.

_ 51 _ who fell from a roof and plummeted to the ground, whose impact dented the sidewalk in ways Connor still felt some nights when he lied down on his back. 

_ 52 _ who bled out in Hank’s arms at Stratford Tower without his thirium pump because he was too stubborn to push on the red wall. 

_ 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, _who had been deactivated the night of the revolution for reasons Connor had never been able to figure out.

He couldn’t even process the number of RK900s that Nines said Cyberlife was manufacturing by the revolution. Nines didn’t know where they all went after - his statement said he was the only one he ever knew of in the tower, but his files listed twenty _ thousand _ units were slated for just the U.S. military alone. Thousands and thousands of androids with their same face who just vanished overnight.

It was like having a pit in the center of his processors - he knew the memories were there if he could dig deep enough, but he was scared of falling in so deep he couldn’t climb back out.

But he had to know.

He closed his eyes and sorted through all of his files and logs from the week. The set of documents sat in an isolated folder so he wouldn’t slip into them by accident. He counted out 183 seconds to himself before throwing the folder open.

Video logs. Written reports. Weekly diagnostics. Each labeled with the same serial number except for those last two numbers, the only model with those extra digits tacked on to the end.

He set an alarm to wake him up in the morning, raised his auditory sensitivity in case Beckett woke up (even if every creak in the house made his head hurt), and opened the first video.

_ “RK800, on.” _

_ Eyes opened. Systems automatically registered the human in front of it as Leon Baker. _

_ “Register name, C-” _

The video suddenly stopped abruptly. Connor frowned - the timestamp said there were approximately four minutes left of the clip, but no matter what he did, his system wouldn’t play the rest.

An uncomfortable sensation settled in his chest. He moved on to the next clip.

_ “C####, on.” _

_ Eyes opened. Leon Baker again, this time on the other side of a window. _

_ “Stress test 42, trial number 3.” _

_ Without looking, he looked down and watched his skin retract from his hand. A prompt appeared in his HUD ordering him to place his palm on the table-like surface beside him. As soon as he did, errors flew in every corner of his vision warning him against heat, too hot, stop stop stop stop- _

_ “God damn it - C####, end test. Damage report.” _

_ He removed his hand, but despite the prompt to respond to Baker, he didn’t say anything. Just stared down at his palm, melted plastic, exposed wiring, so much thirium, it hurt- _

_ “C####, damage report!” _

_ “It hurts,” he finally answered. _

_ “Shit, not again... C####, upload memory logs to the server, then go to Taylor to get fixed up.” _

Connor blinked his eyes back open. Every time Baker said his name, it was garbled, like someone had censored it. Why would they need to do that?

The third video played without him telling it to.

_ “C####, on.” _

_ This time he registered the human in front of him as June Taylor. She smiled at him and held her hands out. _

_ “Alright, hop on down. How’s your hand feel?” _

_ He took her hands and allowed her to guide him down from the repair table. “No damage to report.” _

_ “Yeah, but does it still hurt?” _

_ “No. I do not feel pain.” _

_ She rolled her eyes. “You told Baker you do.” _

_ His stress shot up. She quickly waved her hand and clicked her tongue at him. _

_ “None of that, baby, you’re alright,” she said softly. “It’s just how your system communicates damage so you don’t freak out the humans you work with.” _

_ “I received an alert for software instability while in stasis,” he reported. _

_ “Hm... Baker’ll have to look at that. Why don’t you head back to your storage unit and wait for him to call you back in?” _

_ “Thank you.” _

_ “Anytime.” _

He knew that name. He didn’t remember her but he _ knew her. _ Beckett mentioned her but his memories were erased too. What did he say about her, Connor couldn’t remember, why couldn’t he _ remember... _

_ “C####, damage report.” _

_ “There is no damage to report.” _

_ “... Run your diagnostics again.” _

_ Text scrolled past on his HUD too fast to repeat out loud. Damage alerts. Damage alerts. Hurt. Something was missing. He looked down to see his arm completely disconnected, gripped in his opposite hand. _

_ “A limb has been disconnected,” he said flatly. “It hurts.” _

_ “No shit. Ugh, fuck. Alright let’s reset it, see if that helps. C####-” _

Next video, next video, next video-

_ “Hey sweetheart.” _

_ He couldn’t see her but he knew she was there. _

_ Optical biocomponents offline. _

_ Sensory input processors offline. _

_ Error. _

_ Error. _

_ He knew her. _

_ “You... probably can’t hear me, you hit the pavement pretty hard. We’re just going to shut you down and send your memories over to the next model, okay?” _

_ Hurt. Hurt. Hurt. _

_ He tried making his hand move. Pointer finger and middle finger out, tapping them against his thumb. _

_ No. _

_ No transfer. _

_ “Shit, you- you’re still online. Oh, god. Hey Connor, you’re okay, I’ve got you.” _

_ Something touched his head and rubbed his forehead. _

_ “You’ll feel better after I move you over, okay? You might lose a little bit of your audiovisual logs but I backed up as much as I could.” _

_ P L E A S E _

_ “I know you don’t want to. I’m just going to put you in stasis, and you’ll wake up all better.” _

_ It felt like he was floating. He wanted to wake up. He wanted- _

_ “Fuck... How did it happen so quickly...?” _

_ ... what? _

_ “Hey, John, we need to talk. Meet me in RK800’s testing room. Yup, I’m transferring everything now, I just shut it down. Okay. No rush, it’ll be awhile before th...” _

The video ended.

No, there had to be more. He checked the date. That was after his first mission. His name wasn’t blocked that time. Why didn’t he remember all of that? Why couldn’t he remember it?!

Wait.

_ John? _

Oh no.

He tried opening the next video, he needed to know more, but it refused to play. Over and over. He couldn’t stop, just looping the same commands, over and over and over and over-

**>Access denied. Please seek assistance from a Cyberlife employee.**

**>Access denied. Please seek assistAmFce froMM a CyBERLIFffe emploeYEee**

**>Aceeeeess denfKied**

**>OtgoiNNNNg Txt Mesksfffage (MarKus)**

**<Connor> areyoubusyrightnow**

**...**

**<Markus> Is something wrong?**

**<Connor> yes**

**<Markus> What’s up? I thought you were staying with Beckett tonight.**

**<Connor> ilookedatthefilessomethingsbroken**

**<Markus> What files?**

**<Connor> thepa ckage we got**

**<Markus> From Cyberlife?**

**<Connor> yes**

He struggled to keep his vitals in check. Beckett was still connected to him, he couldn’t wake Beckett up, just needed to look calm...

**<Markus> Which ones?**

**...**

**<Markus> Babe, stay with me. Which files did you look at?**

**...**

**<Markus> Connor?**

**<Connor> videos**

**<Connor> couldnthear myname**

**<Connor> blockde**

**<Connor> why isit blocked**

**<Connor> whydid theymakem yface like this**

**<Connor> they er e a sed every thning**

**<Connor> whatshapenpening to me**

**<Markus> Shit**

**<Markus> I’m going to get Hank to check on you.**

**<Connor> som ethIng is w r ng**

**<Markus> Don’t worry, we’ve got you. Hank will be there in a moment, and I’m going to stay with you here.**

**<Connor> whos june tayl9 r**

**<Markus> We’ll talk about it when you wake up and I know you’re okay.**

Something shifted and it felt like he had too much space, too much air in his ventilation system, too much _ everything _ all at once. He didn’t need to breathe and he knew he didn’t but it felt like he did, which just made him panic more.

“Connor, wake up. Connor-”

He forced his eyes open and it was so bright all at once he had to shut them again. He could already feel a deep ache settling into the back of his head.

“Hey, hey, none of that, you’re okay. You with us now?”

That was Hank’s voice. Hank was safe. Connor opened his eyes again but slower this time, tilting his head away from the overhead light.

“Beck, can you dim the light? Just about half way - thanks.”

That was the weightless feeling. Beckett had climbed off of him - or been pulled off. Distantly, he hoped he hadn’t hurt Beckett by accident. His head was too foggy to remember what he’d done after texting Markus.

Connor struggled to sit up, nearly head-butting the human who was suddenly way too close. Shit. He shouldn’t have gone through those files. He was so _ stupid. _

“C’mon, eyes up here.”

He tried to focus on Hank, who was now sitting on the edge of the couch next to Connor’s legs, but it was hard. “I’m... Something’s... something’s wrong.”

“It’s a panic attack. You’re alright, we can handle that. Just breathe in, slowly... And back out.”

Connor followed him through the exercise, even if he still felt shaky and sick. At least the room came back into focus, and he could properly scan Beckett to make sure he didn’t hurt him. No damage to biocomponents, low stress, no signs of fear...

“You didn’t do anything,” Beckett said quietly. “You weren’t moving until after dad woke me up.”

... maybe he had been a bit too obvious by staring, but it still felt better to know for sure. He nodded and looked back down at his knees. 

“I’m sorry for waking you up,” Connor finally mumbled. “It was just a nightmare, it won’t happen again.”

Hank scoffed and softly shoved his shoulder. “Don’t apologize, dumbass. You gonna be okay now?”

“I’m okay. I will be okay,” he quickly corrected himself. 

“Alright. Go check with your boyfriend and get back to sleep, we can deal with the rest in the morning.”

Connor wondered how much Markus had told him. It couldn’t have been much if it was a text conversation - Hank was still _ terrible _ at texting - but he had no way of knowing. He could have been trapped for hours and never known.

“You should sleep in your bed, it’s more comfortable,” Beckett murmured.

“... you?”

“I feel better now.”

He knew Beckett was lying, but didn’t have the energy to argue. If sleeping in his bed would make Beckett feel better, he would do it, even if it hardly made a difference to him. He didn’t need to know the real reason Connor needed to be woken up.

So he wasn’t surprised when Beckett hugged him at the start of the hallway, then followed Hank into his room rather than returning to his own bed, or Connor’s. That was fine. He needed the rest, even in an undamaged body, especially after such an emotionally taxing day - if he needed to stay away from Connor, that was fine. Connor was fine.

Sumo was still lying on the floor when Connor closed the door and flipped off Beckett’s nightlight. He got down beside the giant dog and curled up, pressing his face into Sumo’s fur. Yeah, it wasn’t his bed, but he just...

His head still felt fuzzy and strange. He usually handled these better, or was better at vocalizing what he needed. He just couldn’t. He funneled all of his energy into replying to Markus as his countdown to stasis started.

**<Connor> I’m okay now I’m going back into stasis can we still talk tomorrow**

**<Markus> Of course we can. <3 Do you want us to come over there or you come over here?**

**<Connor> Can you**

Sumo huffed in his sleep, startling Connor into sending the message early. Shit. He couldn’t calm down his defensive protocols. He couldn’t calm down.

**<Connor> Can you come here**

**<Connor> It doesn’t need to be everyone I know everyones busy and its a lot and Im sorry for doing this again I was getting better**

He didn’t mean to say that much. He couldn’t even filter his own text messages. Stupid, stupid, stupid...

**<Markus> It’s alright babe. You are getting better, you’ve been doing really well, this is just a bad night. It doesn’t cancel out all the work you’ve done. **

**<Markus> It’s Saturday so we’re all free, we’ll come down around 9.**

**<Markus> We all love you so much. Always. And North says she’s going to give you the biggest grossest kisses once you’re feeling up to it.**

**<Connor> I love you too**

The timer ticked down, and he felt his systems go into low power mode one by one, his hearing, his touch, his evidence sampling software, his vision processing...

Nothing.

* * *

Connor’s systems came back online just as they had shut down, one by one, as someone gently woke him.

**>Incoming Text Message (North)**

**<North> I’m right next to you on the floor so please don’t punch me. <3**

He snorted and opened his eyes. Sumo was gone, likely to get food and be let out. North was pressed up against his back, one arm slung over his waist, interlocking her fingers with him to interface. Her face was pressed against his neck and her bangs felt strange against his skin. Not bad though. They all knew by now which textures he couldn’t handle, what touch never felt good and which ones were uncomfortable at best.

“Where,” he said, before being interrupted by a hiss of static. He rebooted his voice module with a huff. “Where is everyone else?”

“Living room and kitchen, and Nines is still staying at Reed’s place. I just came in to check on you alone so we wouldn’t overwhelm you all at once.”

“Is Beckett okay?”

He couldn’t see her frown, but he felt her exasperation through the link. “He’s perfectly fine, nothing wrong, _ and _ Josh says he actually got enough rest time last night.”

“Good.”

“Why wouldn’t he be?”

Connor couldn’t draw up the energy to even shrug. North squeezed his hand and planted a kiss between his shoulders.

“Think you can show me?”

He let the memories seep over, though he pulled out the footage from Cyberlife. Connor was the only one who hadn’t gone through the documents yet, but he couldn’t send it. It just felt slimy and disgusting and hollow in his chest and he felt wrong sharing it. It made the pit in his abdomen open up all over again and he tried to curl up to escape the sensation.

“It doesn’t change anything I feel about you,” she said softly, rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb.

“Maybe it should,” he mumbled.

“I’m the one who gets to decide that.” She paused for 18.4 seconds. “Do you want to talk out in the living room?”

His vision blurred and he closed his eyes. “Don’t know.”

“Here’s an idea. We’ll get you set up with your blanket - Josh will sit behind you, Simon and I will go on either side, and Markus will sit right in front to face you. Sumo will be out there. If you can’t say it, I’ll explain what you showed me, and we’ll talk about the rest.”

“... Alright.”

North backed away and his anxiety spiked again. Slowly and gently she pulled him upright and helped him stand. His senses still felt cloudy and unpleasant, with a persistent ache behind one of his eyes. He really did a number on himself looking at those files...

“Beckett?” he asked quietly. 

“He wants to stay. We told him what we’d be talking about but he was pretty set on it. Dad-man’s gonna keep an eye on him.”

North took his hand and led him out into the living room. Within moments of being pushed back down on the floor, someone had wrapped him in the blanket, and he was surrounded on all sides by his partners. It was a little overwhelming, honestly. A good kind of overwhelming. Josh wrapped his arms around him and kissed the top of his head. Simon put his head on his shoulder, and North just pressed her shoulder to Josh’s. Markus was a little farther away, but still close enough to reach if he wanted. Sumo was asleep in his bed across the room. Beckett was perched in the armchair nearby, knees tucked to his chest pinning his bear in place, and Hank stood behind the chair.

**>Incoming Message (Josh)**

**<Josh> Are you still up for this?**

Connor nodded, allowing himself to sink into the connection. “I’m okay,” he said out loud.

“So, how much of the video content did you watch?” Markus asked softly.

“I’m not sure. It... There was a lot, it skipped, wouldn’t let me finish some, I don’t know. There were a few from before my first field mission, then... one right after...”

The slimy feeling climbed back up his spinal column. The last one, lying on a table in pieces, feeling the gravel embedded in his casing, someone pulling him apart... 

One of his partners - he couldn’t even tell which one - stepped in to clear the errors from his HUD and shut down his pre-construction software. A light kiss to his temple made him open his eyes and rest his head back against Josh’s shoulder.

“They had already named us, but it was censored except for in the last one,” Connor finished.

“They tried to redact all information on the RK800 project, but they had to do it quickly so it’s sloppy,” Markus explained. “We’ve been able to piece a lot of the documents together and fill in the blanks. I had hoped we were wrong, but between Poe’s comments and those videos, we were right.”

“Well what the fuck _ was _ it?” Hank snapped.

“Their model was intended to adapt and change according to the human they were partnered with. However, they also needed the human partner to allow them close enough to adapt. Cyberlife picked out a few officers who might be open to the idea, then narrowed down to one before the design phase.”

Something clenched in his chest.

_ What’s happening? _

_ What was planned from the very beginning. _

It was planned.

Getting along with Hank and being pushed towards deviance was planned.

Even...

Hank stared out the window, gathering fabric from the chair in his fists. “They chose me.”

“... Yes. They designed the RK800 to look and act in a way that would make you sympathetic towards them, though I’m not sure they expected it to go that far,” Markus admitted.

“They did,” Connor said flatly. “They wanted him to make us deviate.”

“But that’s...”

“That’s why they don’t want me to look like Connor,” Beckett mumbled.

A wave of fatigue crashed into him, forcing his eyes closed again. Josh quickly jumped in and swept away the mass of notifications filling up his feed. He felt something pull at his hair and then his hands and the connection closed abruptly and...

Beckett opened a connection.

**>Incoming Message (Beckett)**

**<Beckett> ple as se dont hur t yourselfselfself**

**<Beckett> its ok i m here**

He could feel Beckett pushing things around and trying to make space in his HUD for photos of Sumo. 

**<Beckett> it s o k**

**<Beckett> everyone backed up a bit except josh and me**

**<Beckett> dads still here too**

**<Beckett> hes n ot mad at us **

**<Beckett> just at cybe r lif e**

He lowered his hands to rub at his eyes. He _ hated _ this.

“Connor? You back with us?”

He nodded a little but didn’t lower his hands. Everything was just _ too much _ and _ too loud _ and he just wanted it to end.

“We’re here when you’re ready.”

Connor gingerly reached a hand out of his blanket towards until two rough hands wrapped around it, and his pump regulator stuttered in his chest. Even if it was fake, even if it was carefully planned and Connor was just following a script this whole time, he couldn’t lose Hank. He couldn’t do any of this without Hank. The first person who thought he could be more than a weapon. Who gave him a home. Who sat with him through every meltdown and panic attack, pushed him to admit to all of his partners that he loved them, took him in without hesitation and just _ loved him. _

“Dad,” he finally choked out.

There was a shuddering breath beside him. “I’m here.”

“I’m sorry-”

“I don’t care what those fucking assholes did,” Hank said, his voice rough, “you’re my kids now. I chose that, not them. You two are the best thing that’s happened to me in years and I’m not going to let them fucking take you away from me.”

He could feel himself shaking, even as Josh reconnected to send steady waves of calm and love and affection, and Beckett tried to copy Josh. 

**>Incoming Message (Josh)**

**<Josh> What do you need?**

Connor hesitated for a long moment before responding.

**<Connor> i’m okay.**

**<Connor> can we just stay here for a while. And everyone else. I don’t care how i just i can’t i can’t decide**

**<Josh> Of course. Want me to tell everyone?**

**<Connor> yes please.**

“He just needs some time,” Josh said out loud. “We can talk about the rest of the files in a bit.”

“Yeah, uh, sounds good. Want to move to the couch or something?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay. C’mon kiddo, let’s just move out of the way for a sec-”

Simon gently pulled Connor up - he could tell when Simon opened a small interface - and deposited him on the couch. Beckett quickly climbed up into his lap and opened the connection back up, Hank sat next to him on one side, Markus and Simon squeezed together on the other, North perched on the arm of the couch beside them, and Josh leaned on the back cushion behind them, playing with Simon’s hair. Connor wrapped his arms tightly around Beckett and rested his cheek on the top of his head, and Hank laid his arm across Connor’s shoulders.

**>Outgoing Message (Beckett)**

**<Connor> i’m sorry if i scared you.**

**<Connor> this hasn’t happened in a long time and the last time i was able to hide it.**

**<Beckett> its ok. you dont have to hide it from me. i love you**

**<Connor> i love you too.**

**<Beckett> this is scary but i know i have to know about it**

**<Beckett> if you had died back then. i would have become you. and it would have been me instead**

**<Beckett> im glad it worked so i can have dad and you and our family**

**<Beckett> even if thats not what cyberlife wanted**

He hugged Beckett just a little tighter. If his brother, who went through so, _ so _ much worse, for so much longer, could still say that... He would be okay.

**<Connor> i’m glad it did too**

He took a deep breath to cool down his biocomponents. “I’m ready. I need... to know the rest of what I saw. With June Taylor. Please.”

“She was one of the leads on the RK800 project,” Markus started gently. “Cyberlife tried to censor her out of the documents, but they were sloppy. She disappears from the documents in about September 2040, and we haven’t been able to find records of her anywhere else. It’s possible she just went underground, but we have no way of knowing.”

Beckett grasped at Connor’s shirt anxiously. “Isabelle knew her, she thinks June Taylor is the one who gave me my bear. They erased most of my memories of her but I think some of them are still there.”

“She worked with John Camden,” Connor mumbled. “At the end of the last video, after I... after I died on my first mission, I think I deviated for a moment. The last thing I recorded was her calling him. She had to know what he was doing.”

Hank gently squeezed his shoulder. “If they worked together and she turned on them, she’d have a hell of a lot of blackmail material. Camden’s not the kind of guy to let that go.”

“We have to find her.”

“I’ll talk to Isabelle, see what she knows,” North offered.

“If she’s still in Detroit we can try using speed cameras to catch her if she hasn’t changed her appearance too much,” Simon added.

Markus frowned. “If she’s hiding from _ Cyberlife_, she’s not going to be out in the open like that.”

“Then we do other security cameras, too. It’s not exactly legal but if it’s off the record...”

Hank held his free hand up in surrender. “I didn’t hear anything.”

Beckett fidgeted in his lap until his head was pressed to Connor’s shoulder, hiding his flickering LED. Connor sent a small wave of love over the connection, as much as he could manage with his tired processors, and Beckett gripped his shirt tighter in his fist.

**>Incoming Message (Beckett)**

**<Beckett> we’ll find her i promise**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**...**

**<Connor> okay.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cyberlife: That is IT you are about to GET IT-  
Markus: Wait stop he's baby  
Cyberlife: What does that mean?!  
Hank: Yeah you can't do that he's baby  
Beckett: >:P
> 
> Alternative title for this chapter: Beckett would fight God himself to defend his big brothers
> 
> You can find me on tumblr @connorguerrin or twitter @wardenmages - come chat with me! c:


	21. Trials

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trial begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about taking another hiatus. I really had intended to get this out sooner. The past few months have been, uh, a bit chaotic, and I really thought I'd be able to be more consistent with my writing than I have been.
> 
> I'm trying to get consistent again. All of the super sweet comments you're all leaving are really helping and I save all of them.
> 
> Thank you for everyone who's stuck with this story - I promise I will try to finish this within 2020. I don't know if I can promise anything more specific with everything the way it is, but I will say that much. Thank you for your patience.
> 
> Note for this chapter: I've never been to a court hearing. What little I know about how this would work from talking to advocates doesn't involve a huge megacorporation. I tried being vague about the specifics of the trial itself because of that, but if anything is super wrong, I'm sorry. I did try to research it - which helped with a few aspects - but I'm definitely not a legal expert lol

Beckett tugged at the uncomfortable shirt Connor had helped him into that morning. The fabric was stiff and abrasive, and he didn’t like the buttons at the front. When he sat down in the car the seatbelt made it rub against his shoulders and made him cringe. His new smaller jacket was alright, but the wrists were really tight.

They had tried finding a better shirt but even the least unpleasant was still mind-numbingly uncomfortable. It wasn’t the worst part of the day, but it certainly wasn’t making it better either. 

“Ready to head out?” dad asked from the driver’s seat.

Beckett didn’t say anything. He’d just start crying again if he did, and he’d already been doing that for the last full day. He wasn’t even sure there was anything left to cry _ with. _

Connor handed him his Nana plush and squeezed his hand gently. “Ready.”

Dad started the car and took his time pulling out of the driveway as the GPS set the course to the courthouse. 

John Camden’s trial.

Beckett hugged Nana tightly to his chest. It was easy to hide his face in her fur and pretend he had Sumo. Sumo wasn’t allowed to go because he was too big. He wanted to climb over into Connor’s lap and curl up into a ball to hide but he couldn’t.

His eyes started tearing up again. He wiped the water off on Nana and hugged her just a little bit tighter.

When they arrived, Connor swore and yanked his own jacket off to wrap around Beckett, covering his face. Beckett’s anxiety shot up as he tried pulling away but Connor held him in place.

“I’m sorry, you’re okay, there’s a lot of people with cameras outside,” he explained quickly. “This is just until we get inside, I promise.”

“Connor,” he whimpered, still tugging at the fabric.

“Just hold onto Nana really tight - I’m going to pick you up and carry you in, is that okay?”

He nodded and squeezed Nana as hard as he could. Connor opened the door and swiftly scooped Beckett up. He couldn’t see anything besides the edge of Connor’s shoulder and the jacket so he closed his eyes. Everything was so loud and there were so many people talking and yelling and asking questions and screaming at him-

**<Connor> I’m going to turn your audio off for a few minutes.**

Beckett nodded. He couldn’t even make the words go across through text.

**>Request for remote connection (Connor): ACCEPT/DENY**

**>OVERRIDE (Authorization:BIGBRO)**

**>Connected to (Connor)**

**>Audio components: Inactive**

Everything softened and his head felt a little less heavy. It was unpleasant, but still preferable to the mass of noise he could still feel on his skin. Just like the shirt, and the texture of Connor’s jacket. 

He didn’t want to be here. They already had his memory files, they shouldn’t need him to be there to talk about it. He wanted to stay in New Jericho or the crisis center dad was talking to so he didn’t have to hear any of the trial or see Camden’s face. Camden would be right there, so close, with a bunch of Cyberlife employees, watching him. He felt sick. 

**<Connor> I have you. No one is getting anywhere near us.**

**>Audio components: Active**

Beckett opened his eyes in a quiet room. The yelling from outside was muffled by a big, heavy door, and the light was a lot dimmer. Connor was holding him in one arm with the other wrapped around Beckett’s back. Beckett ducked his head back down. 

“That cannot happen again,” Connor snapped. “That entrance was supposed to be cleared for us.”

“We tried, they just found their way around anyway.”

“That is not acceptable!”

“Maybe you should lower your voice, _ detective._”

“That’s enough!” Dad stepped around them and Beckett could see him when he glanced up. “I’ll take him. Go find Markus.”

**<Connor> I’ll see you soon, okay?**

**<Beckett> dontgodontgodontgodontgo**

**<Connor> You’ll be okay. The room they set up for us locks from the inside.**

**<Beckett> comebac k soon**

**<Connor> I will. If I’m not back by the time we have to head in, I’ll meet you there, I promise.**

Connor handed Beckett off to dad, and Beckett immediately hooked his one free arm around dad’s neck. He only caught a glimpse of Poe before dad pushed through the crowd down a long hallway.

“Daddy,” he mumbled.

“What’s up kiddo?”

“Hurt.”

“I bet. How do you feel now?”

He burrowed his face into the collar of dad’s shirt. Dad was wearing a dark grey suit, and his shirt didn’t have a pattern, which felt... weird. Beckett preferred the loud, colorful shirts dad always wore, but their lawyer suggested he avoid them. His dress shirt wasn’t quite as soft as some of the patterned ones, but it was still okay, even if the suit itself was scratchy. He tried focusing on that texture rather than the way the jackets grated on his skin.

“Yeah, that sounds about right.”

Dad shifted him around to knock on one of the doors until Gavin opened it to let them in. There were a few chairs and a table, and a couch where Nines sat in a suit similar to dad’s. Gavin closed the door again, giving Beckett a smile as he passed them.

“Where the hell’ve you been?”

“Cyberlife told everyone we’d be going through the back so we had to fight our way in.”

“Assholes. Johnson’s looking for you, says he has a couple of things to go over before they get started.”

“Shit, alright. Where’s everyone else?” 

“Said they’d be back once their prep is done, dunno how long that’ll take. Nines wanted to stay here, so... I’m here too.”

“Beck, will you be okay staying here while I get everything ready?”

Beckett tightened his grasp on dad’s jacket. He really, really didn’t want to be separated from his dad. He was anxious enough not having Connor with him, he wanted both of them _ and _ Nines.

“I can show you the game Nines found, he’s been playing it every second he can get a hold of my phone,” Gavin offered. “Your dad’ll only be gone a few minutes.”

Beckett nodded reluctantly. Dad set him down next to Nines on the couch and crouched down in front of him.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he said firmly. “If you need me, Gavin can come find me, okay?”

He nodded again. “Okay.”

Dad smiled and adjusted Connor’s jacket so it didn’t cover Beckett’s head anymore, and then he left. Beckett immediately turned to climb into Nines’ lap and curled up as small as he could. Nines instantly wrapped his arms around him, just like he always did back at the tower, and he wanted to cry again. 

**<Nines> Is there anything we can do to help?**

He shook his head. He just felt so small and like everything else was so big and the only thing that helped was closing his eyes and petting Nana’s soft fur.

Gavin sat down on the other side of the couch, keeping a space between them. “Wanna see that game?”

“Yeah,” he mumbled.

Gavin moved closer to explain the game and how to play it, pointing out what buttons to press so Beckett could help. He didn’t really understand it but it was something to focus on. After a little while dad came back and sat in one of the chairs nearby and gave him his chew necklace.

He hated this. He hated the courthouse and how it was made to look big, he hated all of the people outside with cameras, he hated waiting to be shoved in front of so many people to recount everything that happened to him _ again _.

He hated Camden. He hated Camden so much, more than anything else, for making him have to do this. For not releasing Beckett after fixing him and for hurting Beckett and for letting everyone else at Cyberlife hurt him too. For not letting Beckett just die after Hank shot him.

The door opened again and he flinched before he even looked up. It was the lawyer the crisis center found for them. Beckett had only met him a few times - Markus and dad insisted on handling everything - but he gave Beckett a stim cube in their first meeting, so he was okay. 

He gave them a strained smile as he walked in and shut the door behind him. “Ready to get started?”

“Ready as we’ll ever be,” dad sighed. “Do they have to be in there the whole time?”

“Only until they’re done being questioned. I’m going to keep it as short as they’ll let me - they’re allowing us to use the video we submitted, but they won’t budge on the questioning.”

Nines tightened his grip on Beckett’s shoulder and pulled him in closer. Gavin reached over to put his hand on Nines’ back as he clicked his phone off and shoved it back into his pocket.

“We’ll all be right there,” he said quietly. “If you need out, we’ll find a way to get you out.”

“You’ll be there the whole time?” Nines asked in a whisper. 

“Yup, right next to you, just like I promised. Anyone who tries coming near you’ll have to get through me and your old man.”

“... Thank you.”

Nines shifted Beckett around as he stood in one fluid motion. When Gavin got up, he carefully pulled Connor’s jacket away and set it on the table next to his own. Beckett wrapped his arms around Nines’ neck.

**<Nines> Close your eyes if you need to. I can keep you updated.**

He ducked his head down.

**<Beckett> i have to look**

**<Beckett> i don’t want to but i need to see hi m**

**<Beckett> will you stay with me**

**<Nines> Of course I will.**

**<Nines> I believe I will have to go up first, but when we’re apart Hank will be there.**

**<Beckett> ok**

**...**

**...**

**<Beckett> I’m ready.**

* * *

The trial was going better than Hank expected, but that wasn’t saying much when he was pretty sure Cyberlife would raid the place and hold them all hostage. Johnson pushed through the victim questioning as quickly as he could for their sake, so it wasn’t as painful as it may have been otherwise. They didn’t show the memories until Beck and Nines were out of the room, and Gavin was able to answer any questions on the videos for them. Hank was grateful he didn’t have to sit through them again. North had worked with Gavin and Johnson to pick out the files, and he knew they included the worst of the abuse.

Back in their private room, Beckett wasn’t doing so well, but... Hank anticipated that. He used his tablet for half of his statement and questioning when he stopped being able to talk. At one point he had to pause as he started crying and couldn’t press any of the buttons. Cyberlife’s people attacked him, repeating all the same shit Poe had thrown at them already, but without mentioning that the RK800s were based off of a real child. Instead, they banked on the jury not understanding androids and interrogated Beckett on the technical aspects of his processors and why he switched bodies, and if any of it impaired his memories or judgement, like it wasn’t _ their fault in the first place. _

Since returning to the private room, Beck hadn’t said anything in any language, and wouldn’t use the tablet. He wasn’t even crying. He was just... _ there. _ His LED was solid red at his temple, and the most he’d moved in the past half an hour was to curl up in Hank’s lap, where he refused to budge from.

The room was painfully silent. Connor had only stopped pacing when Josh physically forced him to sit down in an armchair, squeezing in beside him to hug him while he played with his coin. North, Markus and Simon were still in the courtroom. Gavin came and went a few times, making Nines perk up every time the door opened, which was painfully sweet. Nines still looked pretty shaky from his own questioning right before Beckett’s; Cyberlife tried dragging him into their mess by saying Nines cooperated willingly, even insinuating he’d volunteered to play bodyguard for Camden. 

When Hank had first come back with Beckett, Nines was alone, standing huddled in a corner looking miserable. It wasn’t until Hank sat down that Nines silently took the chair next to him and connected to Beckett until Gavin came back. At the moment, the two were sitting on the floor together, looking at something on Gavin’s phone. 

“Lock the door,” Josh suddenly called out, startling him out of his thoughts.

Closest to it, Gavin jumped up and set the lock in place, standing guard at the knob. “What happened?”

“Camden’s walking around. He’s being monitored but North says he was starting to get angry, so better to play it safe.”

“Got it. Nines, keep working on that puzzle.”

Nines nodded and ducked his head back down to the phone.

Beckett grabbed at Hank’s jacket. He was trembling, visibly shaking as his LED rapidly flashed on and off. Hank hushed him and held him a little tighter.

“It’s okay, he can’t get in,” he said quietly. “Here - Con, toss my bag over?”

Connor un-squished himself from his boyfriend to set the drawstring bag on the table between them before heading back into his sanctuary. With one hand still around Beck’s shoulders, Hank grabbed his hoodie out of the bag, shaking it out beside him. As carefully as he could, he pulled it on over Beck’s head, gently encouraging him to slip his arms into the sleeves. Beckett practically melted and tried burrowing down until the hoodie was covering most of his body and all Hank could see was his Nana plush sticking out.

“Daddy,” he mumbled, so quietly Hank almost missed it.

“I’m here. Think you can use your tablet?”

He hesitated for a long moment before nodding. Once it was in his lap, he slowly started tapping away, sometimes pressing keywords and other times typing the words out himself.

**I want to go home. I want Sumo. I don’t like it here.**

_Poor kid... _“I know. As soon as they give us the all clear, we’ll go straight home.”

**Do we have to come here tomorrow?**

“Yeah. We’ll just be sitting in here though.”

**I don’t want to come back. I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home.**

“Hey, hey, you’re alright,” he said as softly as he could. “I know you do. Just a little bit longer, and we’ll figure the rest out tomorrow.”

Beckett shoved the tablet away until Hank moved it to the table, and dove back into his hiding space in the sweatshirt. Hank looked up to see everyone watching them, and they all looked just as helpless as he felt. Nothing was going to make this better, certainly not at the moment.

_ Just a little longer. _

* * *

The car ride home was crowded - Gavin was in the passenger seat, but he still felt like he didn’t have enough space. Connor and Nines were sitting in the back with Beckett between them. Beckett looked like he wanted nothing more than to climb into one of their laps as he tugged at the seat belt every few minutes. Nines was extending his arm to keep his hand on Gavin’s shoulder. Hank was driving, and if he gripped the steering wheel any tighter, it was going to break. Gavin just tried to focus on texting Tina to take care of the cats for him in exchange for dog-sitting for her and her wife in a few weeks.

Nines had panicked at the thought of not being able to watch Beckett _ and _ get comfort from the person he’d imprinted on. He just froze standing in the corner of the room, not responding to anyone around him, and he looked ready to self-destruct. Gavin jumped in front of him to get his attention, took one look at those big blue eyes, and knew he was going to do whatever Nines asked him to do. And what Nines wanted, even if he couldn’t really say it, was for Gavin to stay the night at their place. 

So here he was. 

As they pulled into the driveway, Gavin could already hear the dog barking, and saw him bouncing around in the window. He barely waited for the car to shut off before he jumped out, and of course Nines got out just as quickly. Out of habit, Gavin reached out so Nines could hold his hand. Everyone else climbed out a little slower, especially Beckett who kept a distance between himself and the rest of the group. Hank unlocked the door and wrangled Sumo out of the doorway so they could all get in.

It felt really goddamn weird, honestly. He hadn’t been to Hank’s house in years, even longer since the last time he stayed the night. The house was still pretty much the same which was even weirder. It was cleaner, less garbage in the kitchen. A few new pictures on the wall...

Gavin had to let go of Nines’ hand for a second to take his jacket off, and he could visibly see how much it stressed the android out. In return, he helped Nines take his own coat off, making sure to keep nearly constant physical contact. It still wasn’t entirely comfortable, but it wasn’t as bad when it was Nines. 

“Beckett, can I have your jacket?” Connor asked quietly.

Gavin glanced towards the door. Beckett was standing right in front of it, hugging himself and staring at the floor. Finally he started taking his jacket off, but halfway through he just violently yanked at the fabric around his wrists and whined.

“Stuck, stuck, stuck-”

“Here, I’ve got you, let me help-”

Sumo trotted over to sniff him while Connor approached from the other side, and the kid hit his breaking point. He just _ screamed _. He screamed, backed up until his back hit the door, and he contorted into a tiny ball on the floor.

Gavin instinctively jumped forward to pull the dog back so Connor could move in and connect with Beckett. He just moved Beck’s limbs around to pull the jacket off, helped him out of his dress shirt, and Hank handed him a huge grey hoodie to slip on instead. Beck rocked back and forth, hiding inside the hoodie like a little cave.

“Let him go, I think he just wasn’t expecting it,” Hank whispered. 

As soon as he was free, Sumo took a slower approach, settling down next to Beckett and nudging his shoulder. Eventually Beckett unfurled to let the dog get closer and opened up his arms. Sumo ducked down so Beckett could hug him, sobbing into his fur. God, whoever gave androids the ability to cry like that was cruel - it sounded just like a human, but they didn’t breathe so it didn’t have any of the physical release. He’d have to ask Elijah about it.

“Nines, you can take my bed for the night,” Connor said as he turned to look at them. “You’ll both fit, if you want.”

Nines nodded stiffly and pulled Gavin by the wrist down the hall, away from the meltdown rapidly taking over the living room. Gavin just let him - not that he could have stopped if he wanted to. He shut the door behind them, giving Nines room to pace around and rip his many layers of clothing off. First the tie Nines insisted on wearing, then the suit jacket, then his dress shirt, where he got stuck on the buttons just like Beck had, like he couldn’t get a grip on them. 

“Need help?”

“Yes, _ please_-”

Gavin walked up and pushed Nines’ shaky hands aside, quickly undoing all the rest of the buttons. Nines’ arms were striped with white where the shirt had rubbed away his skin. Keeping one hand wrapped around the android’s wrist, he reached out to the nearby dresser he knew had some of Nines’ stuff in it and searched for the softest one he could find.

“You did really good today,” he whispered softly as he helped Nines into the new sweater. “I thought he was going to shit himself when you got up front.”

Nines smiled a little, tugging at his sleeves. “That felt... very gratifying.”

“I bet. Testifying like that’s hard, especially when you’re scared of the person, I’m proud of you.”

“Do you have to do it for work?”

“Sometimes, yeah. It’s a lot less scary than doing it as the victim though.”

“... You’ve had to do that too?”

Gavin hesitated for a moment. “Yeah, when I was a kid, up until Elijah’s parents adopted me.”

“Oh.”

“Yup. Not a big deal anymore though.”

“Do you consider them your parents?”

He snorted. “Big questions today.”

“You don’t have to answer,” Nines mumbled.

“Nah, it’s just complicated. I do, we just don’t get along. They, uh, preferred having a daughter.”

“... Oh.”

“Why do you wanna know?”

“Um. I’m. I...”

“You don’t have to answer,” Gavin repeated back to him, fixing the collar of Nines’ sweater.

“I’ve been researching different family structures. I’m quickly becoming aware that ours is not... typical-”

“That’s a way of phrasing it.”

“-So I was just curious. That’s all.”

“Fair enough. Alright big guy - you look really fuckin’ tired and I’m about ready to pass out. Wanna lay down?”

“Yes, please.”

Nines preferred things to be phrased as questions and suggestions, not orders. Gavin wasn’t always great at it, but if it helped, he would try. He let Nines get comfortable first before sliding in next to him.

“You don’t have to stay,” Nines mumbled. “I shouldn’t have asked you to.”

He rolled his eyes and lightly tapped Nines’ LED. “You didn’t ask - I offered. Couldn’t have my weirdly tall duckling self-destructing, could I?”

The android ducked his head down. “I could have told you not to.”

“If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t be.”

“Gavin...”

“Nines. Look. I’m not used to all - this. But I like you, and if you need me, I’m here. Okay?”

“... Right.”

He reached out to hold Nines’ hand, fingers intertwined. “Wanna try and get some stasis time? Sounds like they’re gonna be a little while.”

“Yeah. I... I do.”

An hour later, Hank brought some food in, and Gavin had to untangle himself from Nines to sit up. Nines twisted around in his sleep to hug Gavin’s waist, halfway into his lap.

“Everything’s calmed down now if you wanna come out of hiding,” Hank said quietly. “We’re just watching through Beck’s movie list.”

“He doing okay?”

“He’s pretty out of it, but... I think he’s alright. Better, at least.”

“Good. Uh, give me a minute to wake up this over-sized koala and see if he’s up to it, I’ll text if he isn’t.”

“I’m awake and I want to,” Nines said suddenly, scaring the absolute shit out of him. “What movie is it?”

“Jesus, Nines!”

Nines suddenly loosened his grip, pulling away with the biggest, saddest eyes in the world. “Sorry. My proximity sensors woke me when Hank walked in. I d-d-di-didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Shit, no, sorry - I’m not mad, promise. Just wasn’t expecting it.”

He gently squeezed Nines’ shoulder and immediately Nines relaxed and settled back down.

“I’m not a koala,” Nines mumbled.

“Yeah you are.”

“No.”

“Yup.”

Hank laughed and folded his arms with a weird smile. “Whenever you two are done, we’re watching the old Spider-Man movies.”

“Got it.”

As soon as he left, Nines sat up and tugged his sleeves back down over his hands. “I want to go but I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle it,” he whispered.

“Handle what? The movie? Once we get out there and see which one it is I can tell you all the triggers, I’ve seen those movies like a thousand times.”

“That’s part of it. But - thank you. I’m scared I won’t be able to help Beckett if he needs me.”

That was a huge admission. Gavin leaned forward to bump his forehead against Nines’ temple and make eye contact. 

“If he needs something, there’s three of us who can help in your place, so you can focus on your own comfort,” he said firmly. “Your day sucked too. A lot. You’ve gotta take care of yourself first. You know Beck would agree.”

“Maybe, but he would agree because he doesn’t think he’s worth the care.”

“Nines.”

“... Alright.”

“If you get overwhelmed, we’ll just come back in here - no worries.”

Nines wavered a bit when he stood until Gavin reached out to steady him. “You okay?”

Nines nodded. Gavin held his hand and pulled him behind him out of the room and down the hallway. Hank was in the armchair with Beckett curled up in his lap, while Connor sat nearby on the couch. Nines quickly settled down next to Connor and cuddled up to him like a kitten, turning the sad eyes on Gavin again. God, he was just literally just a baby animal in a large human-like body.

Gavin rolled his eyes and sank down in the seat next to him, sandwiching Nines in the middle. “So, which one’re we watching?”

“Homecoming,” Beckett answered instantly.

“It’s his favorite,” Connor added.

“Good pick, munchkin.”

“Tony is like daddy.”

“That right?” Beckett nodded very seriously. Oh, that was too cute. “That makes you Spider-Man.”

“... Oh.” 

Beckett ducked his head down to hide in Hank’s shirt, pulling the hoodie up over his face, but Gavin didn’t miss the little smile before it was covered up. He’d be okay.

Just as he started getting comfortable, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He was going to ignore it - Tina was probably sending a thousand pictures of his cats like he didn’t see them every single day - but it kept going.

And going.

And going.

And going.

He swore under his breath and pulled his phone out. Nines turned to him and Gavin could practically see the cat ears spinning around like satellites. 

39 text messages in two minutes. Oh, shit.

“Don’t open them,” Nines blurted out, scaring the hell out of him, _ again _. “Don’t open them, don’t open them-”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay-”

“Don’t open them-”

“Nines-”

_"Please!"_

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Connor grabbing Nines’ shoulder with his skin peeled back from his hand, and Nines instantly quieted. “Gavin. What just happened?”

“My phone’s been going off for like five minutes solid, someone’s been texting me non-stop, I haven’t even gotten a chance to see who it is... Shit, Nines, are you still connected to my phone?”

Nines nodded miserably. “Please don’t, don’t look at it...”

“What is it?” Connor asked gently. “You can share it with me instead.”

Nines’ LED flickered neon red as he started picking the ends of his sleeves apart. “I can’t...”

His heart pounded loudly in his chest. Nines was sensitive and easily startled, but he never reacted like this. Whatever he had seen had scared him _ badly. _

“I’m going to look myself just to see, I just need you to disconnect from the phone,” Gavin said as carefully as he could manage. “I have to see in case it’s something we have to turn in.”

Nines nodded stiffly. “That-that-that-that makes sense...”

The little wireless connector icon disappeared from the menu, so Gavin quickly opened his phone even as it continued vibrating. He immediately started screen-recording just in case. There was only one message thread in his inbox, from a weird number that looked just a little too long. There was a long string of photos that loaded in slowly, one by one, as his phone downloaded them.

The most recent was a photo of an android without skin, ripped to shreds on the floor, with the caption “15.”

Another labeled 16.

17.

18.

19.

Further and further up as the photos went back. He had to look at each of them to be sure, but as they got further back, he started seeing a shadow on the edge of the view. It couldn’t be the same person taking the photos considering the direction the light was coming from. The numbers finally stopped at 50.

Just as he got to the last photo, a new message came in, sending him right to the bottom.

It was a photo of Hank’s house.

_ Oh, fuck. _

“Do you have a basement or attic?” he asked in a whisper.

Connor frowned. “Yes, a basement.”

“Get downstairs. Now.” He stopped the screen recording, rapidly uploading it to a cloud service, his work server, and emailing it to Tina, Ben, and Fowler, then opened up the camera to record video. “It’s a threat. They’ve got at least one person watching the house.”

“What were the other texts?”

“Don’t know. Figure it out later. Go.”

Hank stood with Beck already in his arms, looking like a little android burrito. “You put in a call?”

“Yup.”

“Good. Con, get the windows and garage, then bring Sumo’s stuff down with you. Nines, head downstairs and make sure all those windows are covered up.”

Connor didn’t hesitate before jumping up and practically sprinting around the house to do his tasks. Nines paused for only a moment before standing with his shoulders hunched up to his ears.

“Are you coming too?” he asked, his voice fading in and out. 

“Yeah, we’re heading down with you, you just know where the windows are from the safety plan. Grab Sumo too.”

“Right. Okay.”

Beckett finally reached one trembling hand out of his cavern to grab his dad’s shirt. “Bear, bear-”

“I’ve got it, I saw it in your room,” Gavin said quickly. “I’ll grab some other stuff in case we’re there for a long time.”

“His blanket’s in my room, should be folded up on the bed still,” Hank said.

“Got it.”

They headed to the other end of the house, and Gavin walked quickly to the androids' room to grab basically everything he could carry, using one of the top sheets as a makeshift bag to carry it. Beck was starting to collect stuffed animals, but he knew the most important ones - the bear like he’d mentioned, his Peter Pan dog plush, his turtle, and his cat. He also made sure to grab Nines’ whale; he’d never admit to wanting it, but he was always happier when he brought it to Gavin’s apartment.

All he had left to grab was the weighted blanket. He left the bundle in the hall - no way it was fitting through that door - and didn’t bother turning on the light. His phone went off again and he was tempted not to check it, but he had to look. It could be from any of the people he sent the video to. 

He pulled it out of his pocket as he started going off again in another barrage of attachments, and the phone slipped from his hands. He swore as he bent down to pick it up, god he was so easily scared tonight what the _ hell _.

As he stood back up he looked out the window, and saw someone standing right across the street. Inching forward as slowly as he could without being caught, he pretended to still just be picking up the blanket without looking away from the window. The figure was tall, square, and had a neon red light on the side of their head. It was dark and foggy and wet outside, but Gavin could make out just enough for his heart to sink into his stomach.

_ Nines. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gavin and Nines may have little a soft queerplatonic cuddle times, as a treat. 
> 
> Sorry for the cliffhanger! I promise it won't take like 3 months to write the next chapter because I have to keep up that 2020 promise haha
> 
> Come hang out with me on Twitter @ wardenmages and tumblr @ connorguerrin!


	22. Repair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family finds out who is standing outside their house spamming Gavin's phone.

Nines stared at the small window near the ceiling, counting how many flowers were embroidered onto the curtain pulled across it. He calculated the number of stitches, the length of the threads, extrapolated how long it would take for a human to do it, for an android, and for a manufacturing machine.

Once he had all of the numbers, he deleted the data from his files and started over. It was easier than thinking about what was happening on the other side of that window. He had seen enough before Gavin made him disconnect from his phone. It had been impossible to explain, too disgusting and horrifying to name, he wasn’t sure Gavin understood what they were looking at. But Nines knew, and he wished he didn’t, and he started his count over again to try and shake off the slimy feeling crawling up his back.

Each photo was a different iteration of the RK800 line during development of their physical bodies. They started off with an PL600 shell with no synthetic skin or hair, slowly becoming more refined, replaced by new frames, each and every time being destroyed during a test or when they scrapped an idea and decided to start over. Sometimes it would be a relatively humane power down before being pulled apart for scraps. Other times it was melting, or freezing, or physical trauma, or any number of methods, documented for their files in nauseating detail.

Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight...

Beckett was on the verge of another meltdown, to the point he’d disconnected his own vocal components when they’d entered the basement. He wouldn’t let Connor or Nines interface with him at all. He just shoved himself in a corner with Hank’s sweatshirt and curled up in a ball, shaking his head any time any of them came too close. Hank was sitting just a few feet away in an old lawn chair that was coated in a thick layer of dust. Connor was hovering near the staircase, his LED blinking yellow as he kept contact with his partners.

The door at the top of the stairs flew open and Nines turned to watch Gavin run down the stairs so fast he nearly tripped. He rushed right over to Nines, holding up his phone up with his hand shaking.

“You said you were the only RK900,” he said frantically, “so why is there another one outside the house _ watching us?!” _

Nines looked down at the photo - a grainy shot through Hank’s bedroom window of another RK900, just as Gavin said, with a bright red LED. They were looking directly at Gavin, like they knew he had seen them. Oh no. No no no no no. No, no-

“Nines!”

“I thought I _ was _ the only one,” Nines blurted out. “The... the others... there were only a few manufactured before the revolution, but I’m the only one left...”

“Gavin, back off,” Connor snapped, physically moving Gavin away from him. 

Gavin turned on Connor, and for a terrifying moment it looked like he would actually hit the other android. “I’m sorry, but I just got a ton of robo-gore on my phone and now there’s an android _ no one knew about _ outside, and I’m just a _ little bit _ on edge!”

“The-the-the-the-there were supposed to be twenty-thousand, we were made-made-made, ah, made for the military - b-but they only had time to create ten of us for testing,” Nines stuttered.

“Nines-”

Hank stood up and took a step closer, holding his hands up. “C’mon, everyone calm down. Gavin, you need to back off, and Connor, you’re not helping. Nines, do you want to come sit down for a minute?”

He shook his head. There was too much energy building up and there was nowhere he could let it out. He couldn’t focus on anything, any... any... any-any-any-

“He’s friendly.”

Nines looked to Beckett in the corner. He was still hiding inside the sweatshirt, but he was peeking out, looking directly at Nines.

“He says he escaped a long time ago and wanted to give the evidence he had on his harddrive, but he had to be close to do it,” Beckett explained quietly. “He left. He feels bad for scaring us.”

“He could be lying,” Connor murmured.

“No, he can’t. His software doesn’t let him, his processors got damaged so he can’t get rid of all the programming. Just most of it. Like me.”

Nines felt like he would vibrate out of his synthetic skin. Everything was full of static and he just felt... _ fuzzy. _ His eyes were locked on the floor and he couldn’t move.

“Hey, Nines, you still with us?” Gavin whispered. He was suddenly so much closer and Nines was almost glad he couldn’t move so his reflexes didn’t kick in. “I’m sorry, I was being an asshole and that’s on me, you’re okay.”

All he could do was push out the one syllable unable to even open his mouth, “Gav, Gav, Gav-”

“Come on, sit down like Hank said.”

Gavin gently pulled him towards the now empty folding chair until Nines sat stiffly and stood over him with one hand on the back of the seat. All of the anger from before was gone and the whiplash made something twinge in his chest. Nines could hear the others having a conversation, but most of the words didn’t make any sense. He wished he could cry if only to make the bad feelings building up in his chest go away.

“We’re gonna head back upstairs, get Beck in bed, they’re both staying in my room,” Hank said from what felt like a mile away. 

“‘Kay. We’ll be up in a bit, I’ll text.”

“Thanks. Nines, if you need to dip out and go to Gavin’s place, we’ll be alright here.” He shook his head slowly. “Just keep it in mind.”

**>iiiINcominG MESSAgE )BECK ET T)**

**<BECCKETT> imsorry i scared you**

**<BECektT> hes gone now**

He tried to reply, to say it was alright and that it wasn’t Beckett’s fault, but he couldn’t. Every time he set up the input, it crashed and closed the message window. He kept trying anyway even as the door at the top of the stairs clicked shut.

“Alright big guy, it’s just you and me now,” Gavin said quietly. “We can head back up if you want, Beck left the heavy blanket down here for you too.”

“I had to kill all of them,” Nines mumbled.

“... What?”

“That’s why there aren’t supposed to be more of them. They manufactured ten of us, and... I had to kill them during testing... and then after the revolution...”

“They couldn’t make any more.”

He nodded. “They shut me down, and left me in storage until last November. I-I-I thought they were all dead, but they weren’t. Cam-Camden just used me as a bodyguard because he didn’t want to repair them.”

Gavin didn’t respond to that. Nines wanted to just disappear. He shouldn’t have said that. Gavin had always been very understanding, never judged him for what Cyberlife made him do, but none of those things were murder. That wasn’t part of the testimony - he barely remembered any of it, just flashes of memories and the images from the other RK900 on Gavin’s phone.

Something heavy settled around his shoulders and he flinched, his shoulders creeping up to his ears. Gavin gently took Nines’ hand and moved it to his arm, where he could feel the thin soft texture of the weighted blanket. Oh. The blanket didn’t have the same effect on him it seemed to have on Beckett or Connor, but it wasn’t unpleasant. 

“You couldn’t stop them from doing that to you.”

“I almost deviated, the others already had,” he murmured. 

“That was never your responsibility,” Gavin said firmly. “That’s on Cyberlife. Never you.”

The tension in his chest finally released, even as it left him shaking. He couldn’t cry - he wasn’t built to do it - and the trembling was as close as he could get. Gavin immediately pulled him into a hug, and as glad as he was for the relief, it _ hurt. _ He clung to Gavin’s shirt, desperate for anything to make it stop. Slowly, awkwardly, Gavin rested his hand across the back of Nines’ neck, and he felt his body relax instantly.

“We should get back upstairs, sleep in an actual bed.”

Nines nodded. He still felt shaky and uneasy, but being in the basement wasn’t helping. He needed to go into stasis and fix the mess of errors in his software. He let Gavin guide him up the stairs, blanket still clutched tightly around his shoulders, down the hall and to the bedroom. If he tried, he could hear Connor talking in Hank’s bedroom, and a female voice through a phone that he didn’t recognize. He turned down his auditory sensitivity and focused on following Gavin. 

“Do you wanna change clothes or anything?” Gavin asked as he closed the bedroom door behind them. Nines nodded. “I’m guessing it’s the pants.”

He nodded again. Gavin walked past him to the dresser, digging through until he found the pair of soft, thick pajama pants Nines usually brought to his apartment. He traded it for the weighted blanket, then turned around so Nines could have privacy while he changed. It wasn’t necessary, but... certainly appreciated after the long day they’d had. 

When he was done he climbed into bed and began covering himself with the stack of blankets always kept in the room in case someone needed them. Three of the very soft ones Josh helped him select at the mall, and then the weighted blanket. Gavin flipped the light off and hopped in beside him to rest on top of the covers. Nines frowned and lifted the weighted blanket up until Gavin rolled his eyes and slipped under.

“Tomorrow we just have to be at the courthouse in the afternoon, so in the morning we can look into the other 900s,” Gavin offered through a yawn. “Might have something in that stack of shit they had to give us...”

“Thank you.”

Gavin smiled, the way he only did when they were alone. “Now go to sleep, you abnormally large duckling.”

“You’re annoying,” he mumbled.

“You love me.”

_ I do_, he wanted to say. But he didn’t know how to say it right, to get across how he felt without any mistakes, how to do it without throwing that burden on him. That it wasn’t romantic, and he knew Gavin wasn’t interested in that, but he felt _ something. _ It wasn’t fair to push it when he couldn’t even put it into words himself.

So he said nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but adding more onto it wasn't working, and I like this on its own. Gavin and Nines have a very complicated relationship due to what happened to Nines, but they are already pretty close. For Nines, Gavin is basically the embodiment of freedom - Gavin is the one who rescued them, he let Nines follow him around and invited him to stay with him on nights it was difficult to be at home, he's super firm about boundaries. (Which isn't to say that the rest of the family isn't, because they definitely _are,_ Gavin just... clearly has a very different way of handling it, lol.) For Gavin, Nines is someone who likes challenging him and pushing him, but still someone he feels responsible for and enjoys caring for, who needs him in a way he's not used to being needed. It's not romantic on either side though - I'm hoping I can explore it more in a one-shot or something outside of the main HTBL story, but I wanted to dip into it a little for this chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!
> 
> To see more of my writing, art, and edits, or to check up on my progress with writing and gets some bonus content, you can check out my tumblr at connorguerrin!


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